Love Can Be Sweet
by Raisa-chan
Summary: While hopelessly waiting for her ex-boyfriend, Sakura meets Syaoran, who gives her a chance to start anew. This is the sweet story of the development of their relationship.
1. Vanilla Cake

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 1: Vanilla Cake

Summary: While waiting hopelessly for her ex-boyfriend to come, Sakura meets Syaoran, who gives her a chance to start anew.

"Miss, are you all right?" asked the cashier who hovered closely in front of Sakura's face.

"Ah," Sakura flinched slightly after being pulled out of her thoughts. She glanced around at her surroundings, and recognizing the desserts displayed in front of her, she remembered she had come to a bakery to buy cake. "I'm sorry."

"What would you like?" smiling politely, the woman patiently waited as Sakura zoomed through the desserts, biting her lip with a look of uncertainty. Her eyes stopped on a plate to the far left and Sakura lit up with recognition.

"Can I have a slice of that one?" Sakura tapped at the glass case, pointing at a plate with several slices of a vanilla cake. Then, Sakura rummaged through her bag and pulled out a long pink wallet. She took out a few bills and handed it to the woman in front of her.

"Just a moment, then," the woman accepted the money with a polite smile, and then began to work on her cash register. Sakura glanced towards the cake, where a young man was now picking it up and placing it onto a cardboard platter in his hands. He turned around with the cake in hand and reached for a box on a high ledge.

"Thank you very much. You can pick up your cake at the counter over there," the woman held out a Sakura's change and snatched the money quickly from the woman's hand. After bowing apologetically once more at the friendly woman, Sakura walked timidly through the bunch of people, grazing through thick winter coats, towards the counter on the other side of the bakery to pick up her box of cake. Someone's body pushed against her and the force almost caused her to lose her balance, but she took hold of the counter and stepped forward to avoid the crowd now behind her.

". . . cake!" Sakura heard a young man's voice shout in front of her. He pulled up a small white box with the strings tied around it and a simple knot. Sakura reached out her hands to grab it and took it out of his hands.

"Thank you," she mumbled to the man as she crouched down and quickly walked to the exit. She pushed the door open with her back while holding the box closely to her chest. Suddenly, she felt tiny white flakes brush her face as she stepped out of the bakery. When Sakura looked up, her eyes widened at the snowflakes floating around her. She sighed and her breath came up as a puff of visible air.

Sakura hugged the small white box more firmly and started walking. Her feet felt slippery over the thin blanket of snow that covered the streets, but she made sure to be more aware of her usual clumsy character, being careful not to rush herself. In only several minutes, she reached the park, which was empty, as it usually is late at night.

Sakura shivered from the frosty air and moved the box under her left arm to tighten her scarf with her right hand. She tucked back the hair that flew wildly as the wind blew past her and held the box with both hands again. She stepped over to a nearby swing and took a seat. Placing the cake box on her lap, she grasped the chains of the swing and waited. Only a few minutes passed before a shadow appeared above her and she looked up to see the breath of a charming young man.

"Excuse me," he was bent down with his hands on his knees. Puffs of vapor continued to surround his face as he tried to catch his breath. Sakura stared at the man in confusion. He straightened his back and pushed back the dark brown hair that draped over his face. When she caught a glimpse of his eyes, she knew he was staring right into her face. She blinked nervously and turned her head towards the swing next to her.

"Y-yes? Can I help you?" her voice was quivering, not because of the cold, but because she knew the shade of amber in his eyes were focused on her. Sakura heard him clear his voice.

"Actually, it's about that cake. I-" the tiny crunch of a leaf interrupted him as Sakura moved her attention to a body behind him. She stood up so abruptly, the cake fell from her lap, but she was able to grab a hold of the box before it flipped over onto the ground.

Sakura stepped forward, nearly pushing the man with amber-colored eyes aside, and looked closer at a figure rustling through a garbage can. It was just the park ranger who had come to pick up the trash. Sakura sighed and returned gloomily to her seat on the swing.

"Is . . . something wrong?" the young man asked her hesitantly. Without looking up, Sakura shook her head 'no'.

"Are you, uh, waiting for someone?" again, Sakura replied by simply moving her head, but this time she replied with a 'yes'. The young man ruffled his dark brown curls and took a step forward, now standing awkwardly in front of her. "Well, I just need-"

"Do you mind holding it for a minute?" Sakura said in a tiny voice, keeping her head bowed down, and shoved the small box into his chest. She took a hankerchief out of a small pocket inside her jacket and blew her nose, folded it in half and blew into the fabric once more. Folding it again, she stuffed it back into her pocket and quickly took the box back from his hands. "Thanks."

"No problem, but-" he was interrupted again with a question from Sakura.

"Do you know what time it is?" she asked. He sighed, but pulled back his sleeve and glanced at his watch.

"It's a little past nine," he replied. Before he could get his next sentence out, Sakura spoke again.

"Do you think this is too late for a girl to be sitting alone at the park?" she glanced at his face for a second, then looked away again.

"Um," the young man was hesitant.

"Are there really guys that obedient?" she asked.

"Huh?" now the man was a bit confused.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" suddenly, her voice was louder and her tone was more stern.

"Uh, no," the man replied.

"Have you had a girlfriend before?" Sakura asked.

"Um, yes, but-"

"Did you ever let her stay out past nine?" she looked up now, and he was unexpectedly entranced in her glowing green eyes.

"W-well, sure, I-um, yeah," he stumbled on his words as the emerald in her eyes twinkled through the falling snow. He coughed into his sleeve and cleared his throat. He heard her sigh and awaited her next question, but she only sat quietly.

"Um, miss?" he tried to get a better look at her face.

"If you weren't with your girlfriend," the man bolted back as her words caught him by surprise. "what would you be doing this late?"

"Uh, I-um, well, I'd be . . ." he brushed his bangs back as he thought about his answer. Sakura waited patiently.

"I guess I'd just be at home," he finally said.

"Really?" she looked directly at him now. After searching through his eyes once, her cheeks grew pink and her gaze returned to box on her lap. "You'd be at home?"

"Yeah," he said, perplexed.

"Really?"

"Yes. I would really be at home," he emphasized the 'really'.

"All the time?" she asked louder.

"Well, no-" he put his hands in his pockets, thinking again.

"Then, where else would you go?" she continued to ask.

"I guess, when I had a girlfriend, we'd still be on our date," he avoided her gaze, embarrased to be sharing his love life with a complete stranger.

"Oh," she seemed disappointed with his answer, so she asked another question. "What about school? Don't you study?"

"Ah, that's true," he nodded in agreement, but his reply was, "but I don't study this late all the time."

"Why not?" she faced him now, ignoring the blush forming on her cheeks.

"Why would I?" his eyebrows creased and he let out a small chuckle of amusement.

"Well, why not?" she repeated her question.

"Wh-Huh? Wait, what's with the interrogation, all of a sudden?" he crossed his hands over his chest.

"No reason," Sakura was taken aback, as if she herself had not realized she had been asking him such arbitrary questions. Still, she was determined to attain her answers.

"So, what's wrong with studying every night?" He scoffed at her question and shook his head.

"If that's what you like to do, then, nothing, but," he was considering his next sentence when he heard her small voice say something inaudibly. "What?"

"I don't," she said.

"Don't what?"

"I don't study every night."

"Aha. There you go," he said as he pointed an assertive finger at her. "I don't study every night either."

"Well, that's only because I have such a kind father, who I sometimes find too easy-going for his daughter's own good, and a brother who's never around," Sakura continued. "What if your parents were strict and expected more of you? Would someone like that study more than the average person?"

"Hm," the young man took a minute to consider this situation.

"I know we're in college and we have more freedom to do what we want, and I'm sure everyone wants to go out and have fun, but-" Sakura started to ramble on, but the man stopped her.

"Okay, okay. There's nothing wrong with being a dud who sits at home all-" he said as he sat down on the swing next to her, but Sakura snapped back.

"A dud? Like, what - you think just because he was committed to his schoolwork he was a total loser? I happen to-" her tone made her seem provoked and now he was not only startled by her outburst, but bewildered.

"Hold on, wait - who are we talking about?" he asked. Sakura looked the other way and bit her lip, as she always did in a sticky situation. She was unsure about how to explain her sudden flare-up. "Um, miss?"

"Sakura," she blurted out.

"Huh?" he bent his head closer.

"Just call me Sakura. Calling me 'miss' sounds so strange," she said more clearly.

"Well, Sakura," saying her name more distinctly than it should be, "we are strangers and I've gotta say that this has been one strange conversation. What are we talking about again?"

"Look," she turned to look at him again, only to meet with his deep amber eyes once more. "I-I just wanted to know what guys did in their free time."

"Oh. You could've said that sooner," he said. She looked at him, as if expecting an answer. He smirked at her expression of discomfort.

"Studying all the time is just boring. I like to have fun sometimes," he started.

"With your friends?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, and then continued. "Living without your parents is nice. But I spend more time outside than in my dorm."

"Do any of your guy friends stay home to just study?" she asked.

"What is with you and this 'studying' thing? You're only interested in smart guys?" he laughed.

"No! I just," she paused before completing sentence. "knew someone like that."

"Someone who studied all the time?" he seemed unconvinced, but she nodded. "Seriously?"

"Yes," she said, more irritated. "You don't believe me?"

"Not really," he shrugged. She just stared at him.

"Well, then, he must have been one lonesome fellow," he rocked slightly on the swing.

"What makes you say that?" she inquired.

"If he's always studying, then when does he have time to socialize?" he asked.

"Sometimes he's out with his girlfriend," Sakura pouted. In a quieter voice she said, "and he had plenty of friends. They were always asking me where he was."

"Really?" he was smiling in disbelief. "Now that just doesn't make any sense to me."

"I know," Sakura sighed.

"Huh?" he looked at her.

"I know!" she started shouting at him. "I know that now, but how are girls supposed to know these things?"

"Okay, I was confused before, but now you've completely lost me," the man stopped swinging and focused on her.

"I'm sorry. This must be really weird for you right now," she said sorrowfully.

"And getting weirder by the second," she frowned at him, but he added, "unless you want to explain to me why we're having this conversation."

Sakura sighed. He continued to stare at the side of her face, trying to see more of her emerald eyes that seemed so striking through the snow. Unluckily, she closed her eyes, lost in thought, and he was just about to say something, when she started speaking again.

"He was my boyfriend," Sakura said.

"That nerd was your boyfriend?" he teased.

"If you don't want to listen, then-" she flared up again, but he only laughed.

"All right, I'm sorry. Please continue your story," he fought back his smile.

"Fine. Anyway, after we started dating, he'd always tell me he was busy, and whenever I asked him what he was doing, he told me he was studying," her faced become more serious now.

"There's nothing suspicious about that, right? I mean, he told me he was going to become a doctor. I've even met his mother, and even though she was so strict it was kind of scary, I didn't think . . ." Sakura stopped, and wiped the moisture collecting in her eyes.

"Didn't think . . . what?" he asked softly.

"Does your mother ever scare you?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," He was used to the unpredictable flow of their conversation.

"So much that you would lie to her?"

"Woah. If my mother ever caught me lying, she'd have my head," he shook his head, thinking about his mother back home.

"So you wouldn't lie to her?" she asked again.

"Hm. Nah," he smiled at her. "My mom can be scary, but I love her. Lying to her? I wouldn't forgive myself."

Sakura took a moment to process his answer, but he wondered why she was giving him such a blank look.

"What?" he felt self-conscious, talking about his mother.

"I've never thought about it that way," she said.

"What, don't tell me your mom scares you that much," he ruffled his hair again, still embarrassed.

"My mother passed away when I was too little to remember her," Sakura said quietly. The young man felt guilt overcome the embarrassment he felt.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't have to be," Sakura said. There was only the soft whistling of the wind for a while, until Sakura spoke again.

"He wasn't really studying," she said.

"He wasn't with you?" he asked, confused.

"He'd be with me until nine, and then he'd drop me off at home and leave," she saw his confusion and continued. "I thought he went home, but he was always meeting some other girl."

"So, where do you come in?" he was still puzzled.

"He needed an excuse to tell his mother when he went out, and lucky for him, he found a gullible girl like me," she explained. "She approved of me, and whenever he was out having fun, he told his mother he was with me."

"And he told you," he said, "that he was studying."

"But he said that it wasn't good for a girl to be out so late, an-and that he didn't want my father to worry about me," she pointed out. The young man just sighed.

"It's jerks like that who give the male population such a bad name," he said. Sakura bent her head down in shame.

"It's not completely his fault. I believed him! I didn't stop to think about what people around me were saying . . . I wanted to believe in him . . ." the tears that amassed in her eyes came rolling down her face now. "Even though he was always playing around, for me . . . for me, I didn't see anyone else but him. I couldn't see-"

"It's not your fault," the young man avoided her tear-stained face. "He shouldn't have used you like that." His words only made more tears. Sakura continued to cry, not knowing how to respond.

"Is that what all this is about? Your ex-boyfriend was a jerk?" he asked.

"H-he wasn't!" she exclaimed, but her next sentence was muffled by her crying.

"I can't understand you if you're crying like that," he searched his pockets for a hankerchief, but she took out her own and blew her nose.

"I liked him. I was happy when he told me he liked me, and when he took me out, and . . ." she began crying again, but the young man waited silently with a look of concern.

"He liked this bakery's vanilla cake," she looked at the box on her lap, "so I always bought a slice to give him when we met up here at this park. When he was happy, I was happy, too."

"Ah, this is kind of pissing me off," the young man stood up and ruffled his hair.

"Eh?" she looked up, still wiping away tears.

"You're too nice, and too naive," a shade of pink formed on his cheeks, but he looked away to hide it. "but it wasn't your fault."

"It wasn't?" she asked innocently.

"Look, you should just get over this guy. Were you expecting to win him back with a slice of vanilla cake?" he still avoided her eyes, but when she didn't answer him, he turned around in disbelief. "You thought you could win him back with a slice of vanilla cake?"

"It . . . It's his favorite . . ." Sakura's cheeks were red, not from the constant rubbing she had done to wipe away her tears, but from humiliation. The young man kneeled down right in front of her to stare boldly at her light green eyes.

"Did you really think he would come?" he asked.

"I told him I would wait here . . ." the man simply shook his head.

"Even if he showed up, he wouldn't have been very happy, because this," he took the box out of her hands and opened it to reveal a slice of chocolate cake. "isn't vanilla cake."

"Eh?" her eyes widened in surprise. "I - huh? I thought - but, how?"

"You weren't paying attention, and probably grabbed the wrong box," he closed the box and stood up, holding it under his right arm. "I'm not surprised, having all this on your mind would make you a little distracted."

"I'm sorry," Sakura kept her head down in shame. A hand appeared in front of her, as if inviting her to take it.

"My name is Syaoran. There's a place nearby that makes coffee that goes great with this cake. Since we know so much about each other already, why don't we go together?" his face was now bright red. Sakura only nodded, and took his hand, wiping away the remaining tears.

"You're buying," Syaoran nudged her lightly.

"Okay," Sakura answered, a smile returning to her face, but Syaoran seemed a little annoyed, so she asked, "What?"

"And this is why he got away with it," he rolled his eyes.

"Huh? What's that - "

"Nothing. Forget it," Syaoran avoided eye contact, but she looked directly at him. "Stop looking at me."

"Sorry," she turned her head away. "You like chocolate cake, huh?"

"You prefer guys who like vanilla cake?" he teased.

"You know, this was a very painful experience for me! It's not something to joke about!" she was annoyed again.

"Sorry, sorry," he sighed. "I'm no good with serious things like that. I joke because it's just easier to get over it that way."

"Fine," she said. "Then, tell me about your ex-girlfriend."

"Why?" he was startled by her request.

"So I can make fun of you, too!" she laughed.

"No way," he scoffed. "Not until you buy coffee."

"I paid for that cake," she pointed out.

"So did I!" he threw back at her, and she laughed again, so he laughed along with her.

"Thank you, Syaoran," she smiled at him in gratitude.

"No problem," he hid his cheeks again, but she could still see the blush beginning to form.

"I won't wait for him anymore," Sakura said.

"Yeah, no one likes vanilla cake, anyway," Syaoran lifted a fist.

"That's not true," she said.

"Well, some people are allergic to chocolate, so I understand," he said, walking towards the park exit.

"You're so obnoxious, Syaoran," Sakura chuckled, following after him.

"At least I don't lie to my mother," he smirked.

"Maybe you should introduce me," she said, naively. Syaoran stopped walking and gave her a serious expression that took her by surprise.

"Are you asking me out?" he asked, and Sakura's face turned red in an instant. Syaoran laughed and took her by the hand. "If you won't, then I will."

Sakura's face flushed an even deeper shade of red.

"Have you ever tried that bakery's chocolate cake?" he asked her.

"N-no," she replied, still shocked from his sudden move, but blushing at the warmth of his hand.

"Trust me, you'll love it."


	2. Hot Chocolate

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 2: Hot Chocolate

Chapter Summary: When Syaoran takes Sakura to a nearby coffee shop, the two have a fateful encounter with Sakura's ex-boyfriend.

"So, you liked him because you thought he studied a lot?" Syaoran tilted his head in uncertainty. His left hand held Sakura's right hand firmly as the two crossed the icy street.

"Yea- no, but, well - yes, uh - not that he - um, it was, uh-" Sakura wasn't sure how to put her thoughts into words and Syaoran had a fun time watching her struggle. She stopped talking to think about her words carefully. When the ideas in her mind clicked together, her face beamed and she made another attempt at her explanation.

"Before I knew about those other girls, he was a hard-working guy who was just incredibly smart and now that I think about it, even if he hadn't been studying all those nights, he wouldn't need it because he probably knew it already," Syaoran began making an irritated expression, but Sakura did not notice until he spoke up.

"Or maybe he was just smart compared to someone so gullible," he muttered and she pouted at him.

"He was studying to become a doctor. That's not something just anyone can do," Sakura bit back at him.

"If he's lied to you about how he's been spending his time, then how do you know he wasn't lying about that, too?" Syaoran asked, rolling his eyes.

"But he really did want to become a doctor, you know! Because I've talked to his friends and I've seen him in class! In fact, even though he played around with those girls, I think he still worked really hard to be one of the best in school," Sakura smiled shyly. "I liked that about him. I wanted to be there supporting him."

"Fine, so he was a genius. Doesn't make it okay for him to be fooling around like that," Syaoran said. "A relationship is a committment. If you're not gonna be serious, then just go jump off a bridge."

"Syaoran!" Sakura seemed shocked at his comment.

"What? I needed to express it somehow! I'm not great with words, sometimes," he just shrugged his shoulders.

"But he did treat me really well! He only said nice things to me, and he was never late to pick me up, and he never got angry at me, and-" the list came pouring out of her mouth, but Syaoran interrupted her.

"I don't know how he did it, because I'm feeling kind of angry right now," Syaoran sighed roughly.

"Why?" Sakura wrinkled her forehead in confusion.

"How can you think like that? The guy cheats on you with, who knows how many girls, and you're saying he 'treated you really well'? That's just-" Syaoran stopped himself from saying something he would regret. Instead, he let out a breath of frustration.

"I know that, but," she looked like she was on the verge of tears again. "but he was my first love."

Syaoran only blinked at her in amazement. He thought about his next sentence thoroughly, but another question escaped his lips.

"Did he kiss you?" Sakura blushed at his question, and shook her head.

"See? He wasn't really interested in you. Any normal young man couldn't resist wanting to -" Syaoran stopped, embarrassed at the words that nearly came out of his mouth. "Nevermind. Was it like love at first sight or something?"

"Actually, I liked him way before he asked me out," she said, and paused again to think about her words.

"I'm not very good in math, and I was failing calculus," she sighed, as if remembering an unpleasant experience. "My teacher strongly recommended that I get a tutor, and that's when I met him. He had one of the highest grades in class and my teacher introduced him to me."

"I see," Syaoran nodded.

"I heard his IQ is extremely high, and he was a prodigy as child . . ." Sakura put a hand to her chin, making sure to get the right facts.

"I knew someone like that . . . what was his name . . . Okada? Okada Hiromasa?" Syaoran suddenly uttered under his breath.

"Huh? How did you know?" Sakura stopped walking to stare at him with astonishment.

"Wait, then, can I just ask - where do you go exactly?" Syaoran asked.

"Tomoeda University," Sakura replied.

"Seriously? Then, we go to the same school!" Syaoran exclaimed, laughing at the coincidence.

"What? Really?" Sakura seemed to be just as surprised.

"Yeah, and get this - I'm in your calculus class, too!" Syaoran continued to laugh, but Sakura was astounded.

"HOE?" Sakura cried. She was stunned and took a step back so abruptly, she almost slipped. Syaoran was quick to notice and put his hand around her back to prevent her from falling.

"You okay?" he was genuinely concerned, but he was still grinning, and then even started chuckling. "You made a really weird noise just now."

"Y-yeah, but," Sakura regained her balance. "Are you joking?"

"No! Actually, I was just thinking about how this guy was similar to someone I knew - good grades, wants to become a doctor, and a child prodigy - and I didn't even mean to blurt out his name," Syaoran started laughing. "Who knew we were thinking about the same guy?"

"Why is that funny?" Sakura pouted.

"Well, that's what's so funny! You actually like that goofy Okada who's always pestering me about girls," Syaoran said, but then stopped laughing as he came to a realization. "So that's what he's really like, huh."

"What? What did you think he was like? And what do you mean pestering you about girls?" Sakura asked stubbornly.

"Oh, look, we're here," Syaoran stopped in front of a small Starbucks shop, reaching out to grab the handle on the glass door.

"Starbucks? This is the great coffee shop you were talking about?" Sakura asked.

"Do you disagree?" Syaoran held the door open for her and gestured her to go in first.

"Um, I guess not," Sakura stepped in first, but turned around to face him. "But tell me, what was he like?"

"Just go in," Syaoran pushed her lightly towards a small line near the counter. "What do you want?"

"I'm paying for it, right? I should be asking you," Sakura said.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm a guy, I still have my pride. How could I let a girl pay for me?" he pushed her closer to him as a man walked between them. Embarrassed at the proximity of their bodies, Syaoran took a step back again. "Just tell me what you want."

"Um, I . . ." Sakura glanced at the list of beverages on the wall and bit her lip, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked through indecisively. "I always bought coffee when I came here with Hiromasa-kun."

"Do you want coffee?" Syaoran asked.

"Coffee is fine," Sakura said.

"Hm," Syaoran stared carefully at the menu before saying, "How about some hot chocolate?"

"Um, hot chocolate is fine," Sakura said.

"Roger that. I'll be right back, so just wait at the sugar table," Syaoran handed her the small box of chocolate cake and pointed to the slab of polished stone stacked with sugar and other condiments.

"Sugar table?" Sakura took the box and smiled, amused at his choice of words.

"Whatever it's called, just go," he stepped forward in line, waving back at her as she walked to the other side of the shop. Only a couple of minutes seemed to pass by when Syaoran called out her name.

"Sakura, there's an empty table over there," he gestured at a square table at the window with two empty seats. "Let's sit down."

"Okay," Sakura followed Syaoran to the small table and the two sat down quietly.

"Here's your hot chocolate," Syaoran slid a tall cup to her over the table.

"Thank you. Here's your chocolate cake," Sakura placed the small white box on the table and pushed it lightly towards him.

"Thanks," he opened the box and held out a small spoon. "Try it."

"Oh, but it's your cake, and I-" Sakura waved her hands in front of her.

"I told you, you'll love this chocolate cake. That bakery's famous for it," he held the spoon closer to her face, and she took it. Slowly, she dug into the pointed end of the slice of chocolate cake and put the spoon in her mouth.

"Mm," she said, thinking for a moment. She took the spoon out, chewed, and swallowed. "It's really sweet."

"Right? It's good, right?" Syaoran leaned back in his chair in satisfaction.

"Hiromasa-kun doesn't like sweet things," she said, and Syaoran sat back up.

"Who cares? Stop thinking about that guy, he really was a loser now that I think about it," Syaoran put his hand over his mouth and placed his elbow on the table. "Always copying my homework."

"What? He wouldn't do something like that," Sakura said.

"Yeah, well, he did," Syaoran scoffed. "Like you said, he was smart, and no doubt smart enough to do his own homework, but he never did."

Sakura said nothing, so he continued.

"Look, I didn't really care whether he did his work or not, that's his business. I just thought it was funny how he always asked for advice about girls," Syaoran said.

"Why would he do that?" Sakura asked.

"That's what I wanted to know, but it should be pretty obvious now," Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her, and when she understood, she bent her head down in shame.

"Who thought he actually interacted with girls. I get why you thought he studied all the time, the other guys and I were fooled, too. We thought he was just a lazy guy who stayed home all the time," Syaoran shook his head again.

"So . . . it wasn't . . . completely my fault," Sakura said softly.

"I've been saying that the entire time, did you just realize it?" Syaoran sighed.

"I'm just really gullible sometimes-" Sakura said.

"Gee, I totally didn't notice." Syaoran cut in.

"- and I just thought maybe it's because of girls like me guys like him get away with things so easily," she kept her head down as she spoke.

"Probably," Syaoran said, and Sakura covered her face with both hands. "But you're not gullible, you're just-"

"I'm what?" Sakura looked up when he stopped suddenly, and met his eyes. His face flared up into a shade of pink, and he pushed the cake towards her.

"Eat your cake."

"What about you?" she asked.

"Lost my appetite," he covered his face in embarrassment.

"But -" she decided to comply when he squinted his eyes in intimidatingly.

So she ate her cake silently, and an awkward silence remained between them until her last bite. She folded the box neatly and stood up. She walked to the garbage bin behind Syaoran and slipped in the flatttened box into the slot. When she got back to her seat, Syaoran was quietly sipping his hot chocolate. Sakura only stared at him.

"What? You're not gonna drink it?" Syaoran waved his hand holding hot chocolate towards her cup.

"It's um, still hot," Sakura said.

"It's good while it's hot," Syaoran took another sip.

"I think I'll wait," Sakura folded her hands over her lap. Again, the atmosphere became tense, so Syaoran decided to speak up.

"So did he tell you he would meet up with you today?" Syaoran asked.

"No," Sakura answered.

"How did you know he'd show up?" Syaoran put his cup down.

"I didn't. A few days ago, I needed - uh, some stuff for - uh, well, anyway I went out -" Sakura stumbled on her words, trying to avoid certain words, but Syaoran knew exactly what she meant.

"Just say it. It doesn't bother me," Syaoran picked up his cup and took another gulp of his hot chocolate.

"Huh?" Sakura seemed confused and nervous.

"If you mean you needed pads because it was that time of month -" he saw her face flush and he chuckled. "I have four sisters. I've had way more experiences with women than I need."

"Four? Wow," Sakura blinked in amazement.

"So, you went out, and then?" Syaoran motioned her to continue.

"Yeah, I, um, realized I didn't have any more, uh, p-pads, so I went out to buy some," Sakura said nervously, tucking a hair behind her ear. Syaoran smirked at her uneasiness. "B-but it was late, around nine, I guess, and that's probably why I saw him."

"Okada?" she nodded.

"I saw him kissing a girl by the front entrance of the school, and I couldn't believe it at first, I mean, it could've been another guy who looked just like him -" she started to ramble, so Syaoran cut in.

"What'd you do?" he asked.

"It was dark and I wanted to be sure, because I didn't want to accuse him of doing something he didn't do and -" Syaoran cut in again.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, but what happened?" Syaoran was getting impatient.

"I walked up to them and I guess they noticed me, I must have stepped on a leaf or kicked some rock -" Sakura was still rambling.

"Yes. I get it. You're not a ninja. So, get to the point," Syaoran leaned on his hand for support.

"It was him," Sakura whimpered. "When I asked him what was going on, he told the girl to leave and just told me the truth. He needed an excuse to tell his mom when he went out with other girls, so he asked me out."

"Did you hit him?" Syaoran said.

"No! I wouldn't do that," Sakura looked apalled.

"I would've," Syaoran went back to drinking his hot chocolate.

"I wasn't sure what to say at first, but then I wondered if he ever liked me the way I liked him . . . and I asked him . . . " her words ended there, but Syaoran was curious.

"He said I was . . . pretty . . . hot, but that I was . . . well, you know," Sakura hung her head as she said this.

"What? You're what?" Syaoran leaned in closer.

"Too naive," Sakura said.

"Hate to say it, but he's right," Syaoran sighed and put his hands through his unruly dark brown hair. "What'd you say next?"

"I really liked him, and I didn't want to just give up, so I told him I'd try to change, and I'd forgive him, and I'd wait for him at nine at the that park we always met up at," Syaoran saw the tears fall out of her eyes.

"That," he said without looking at her, "is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"I couldn't help it! I really liked him!" Syaoran got up and walked to the 'sugar table', but Sakura did not stop crying. "It's true when everyone says 'love is blind'! I couldn't see anything around me! I just knew that I liked him . . ."

Syaoran returned to his seat with a pack of tissues and held it out to her. Sakura wiped some tears with her sleeve before seeing the tissues being offered to her. She took them and Syaoran watched crumpled tissues fill the table one by one. He could only look at her with a worried look on his face.

"Sakura?" a familiar voice suddenly called out to her and she jolted out of her crying state. She gasped as she looked up to see her ex-boyfriend standing beside their table.

"H-hirom-masa-kun?" her voice was weak from her crying and Syaoran stared at him with full resentment.

"And Li! What are you doing here with Sakura? I didn't know you guys were friends," he laughed a little, avoiding eye contact with Sakura.

"Oh, we're more than friends," Syaoran said, and both Sakura and Okada looked at him in shock.

"Sakura's been my girl for a long time," Syaoran twirled the cup in his hands.

"What? Yeah, right, I've been dating Sakura since the year started," he had a smug look on his face that seemed to make Syaoran more angry, but he clenched his fist and kept control.

"I know. She's been going out with me the entire time," Syaoran said.

"Wh - Huh? So, what, you're saying she cheated on me? Don't screw around with me because that's not what happened -" he was annoyed now, but Syaoran smirked.

"So, you thought you were the one cheating on her? That's funny, because she was the one cheating on you," Syaoran chuckled convincingly, "with me."

Okada was flustered and looked at Sakura. He decided to use her in his next claim.

"She's the one crying here," he pointed a thumb at her and Sakura kept her head down.

"She came to be about how guilty she felt about tricking you, and then she started crying about how you'd never know because you'd dumped her first," Syaoran shook his head arrogantly. "Just so naive, but that's why I couldn't let her go. I made her go out with me even though she was with you."

"Why you -" Okada slammed his cup of coffee on the table, clearly enraged, but before he could do anything, Syaoran stood up. "You're a liar."

"She never kissed you, right?" Syaoran almost laughed, but kept his cool. "That's because I made sure she only kissed me."

Surprised by his knowledge, Okada remained speechless. Then, Syaoran grabbed Sakura by the wrist and pulled ger out of her seat. She squeezed between Okada and the table and stmbled into Syaoran's arms. Syaoran placed a protective arm around her shoulder, and looked one last time at Okada.

"She's not with you anymore, so I won't hold back anymore," Syaoran said with a menacing tone, "stay away from my girl."

Sakura hid her face in the inside of her scarf, and Syaoran's hold made her so self-conscious she was almost dizzy. When Syaoran pulled her toward the exit, Sakura caught a final glimpse of the two cups on the table and released herself from Syaoran's hold to grab them. She staggered back to Syaoran's side and the two walked out of the shop hand in hand.

"That went better than I expected," Syaoran said, grinning in contentment. Sakura smacked the side of his arm with her bag.

"Why did you do that?" she wasn't angry, but she seemed bothered.

"Ow. Was that necessary? I just humilated the biggest jerk in your life and you repay me with pain?" Syaoran was still grinning as he rubbed the side of his arm.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to do that," Sakura said.

"Just hand me my hot chocolate and we'll call it even," Syaoran held out his hand. Sakura handed him a cup and he took a sip.

"Pfft!" he spit out the drink and stuck out his tongue, while scrunching up his face in a look of displeasure. "This is bitter!"

"Ah!" Sakura realized her mistake. "I must have taken Hiromasa-kun's drink instead!"

"Ugh," Syaoran threw the cup into a trash can closeby.

"You can have mine," Sakura offered.

"It's fine, I was almost finished with it anyway," Syaoran said.

"I owe you one," Sakura smiled and held out her cup with both hands. Syaoran blushed.

"Stop it," he said.

"Stop what?"

"Being so cute," he hid his face with his hands again and started walking ahead. She followed after him, with her own reddened face. As she caught up to him, she blinked at the cup in her hands.

"It might be cold. You probably don't want it." Sakura looked at him remorsefully. Syaoran just smirked and tousled her hair. He took the cup out of her hands and gulped it down in one shot. Then, he started laughing.

"What?" Sakura looked at him as if he were crazy, but she smiled, almost laughing along with thim.

"I wish I could've seen his face when he took a sip of his 'coffee'," he said.

"Syaoran," Sakura giggled, "you're so immature."

"But this hot chocolate is really sweet," he turned the cup around in front of him, as if trying to get a better look at it. "I should go to Starbucks more often."

"Is it that good?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, yeah, you never got to try it," Syaoran placed his hand on his chin and thought for a second. Then, he moved his face closer to Sakura's, gently held the side of her face, and kissed her.

In the heat of the moment, Sakura closed her eyes and let Syaoran kiss her long enough to taste the sweet chocolate flavor. He broke off the kiss and wiped his lips with his thumb.

"Sweet, right?" he smiled lightly, but turned and decided to face the other direction. He glanced at her to see her bite her lip timidly, but she opened her mouth to answer him.

"It's better than coffee."


	3. Strawberry Parfait

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 3: Strawberry Parfait

Summary: When Syaoran's mother suddenly comes to Japan, she reveals to Sakura the details of Syaoran's past.

"Sorry, did you wait long?" Sakura rushed behind Syaoran to pull on the hood of his sweater and leaned on his back for support. Syaoran turned his head took look at the panting girl behind him and tugged the iPod headphone out of his right ear. He clutched the wires in his right hand and crammed it into his sweater pocket.

"I'm used to it. Besides, I knew you'd be late, so I just got here," a haughty smirk formed on his face. He took a step forward to turn himself around while she stepped back to face him, trying to catch her breath. Sakura's fatigued expression became an annoyed one.

"How'd you know I was going to be late?" she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Sakura," Syaoran moved his face closer to hers and again a smug smirk was apparent on his face. Sakura avoided his gaze. "I've learned to pick up a thing or two about your sleeping habits."

"Wh - I'm not - it's just - it's only been a week!" Sakura flailed her hands animatedly and nervously, while Syaoran chuckled at her usual clumsy movements. He watched her sigh and calm herself down, so he bent forward and lifted her chin to peck her lightly on the lips. Syaoran kept his face at the same level to stare into her deep green eyes.

"It didn't even take one whole day before we started kissing," Sakura blushed, but her eyes did not look away this time. Syaoran placed his hand on her cheek and slid his thumb beneath her widened green eyes. Then his hand moved swiftly to take hold of hers.

"Hey, you're the one who - with the hot chocolate! - a-and then-" Sakura sighed, being pulled along by the hand. The nervous tension clearly expressed in her tone made Syaoran smirk. Sakura noticed this and and then creased her eyebrows while mumbling under her breath, "I was going to be early today."

"What's the excuse this time?" Syaoran nudged playfully. Sakura sighed dejectedly again. She mumbled her answer in a volume too low for Syaoran to hear. So he asked her to repeat it.

"I woke up late again, okay!" she yelled and crossed her arms, turning away from him. Syaoran chuckled.

"You wake up late every day," Syaoran continued to tease her, smiling from ear to ear. He spoke closer to her face. "Can't sleep 'cause you miss me?"

"No!" Sakura withdrew her hand from his to cross her arms. She walked forward on her own. Syaoran imagined the indecent thoughts he might have planted in this innocent girl's mind and laughed. He quickened his pace to catch up to her, but she turned around to face him.

"You are a pervert," she pointed a finger and poked him several times in the chest. She huffed at him and started walking again, crossing her arms even tighter. Syaoran just shook his head and took a long stride to catch up beside her.

"You sure know how to pick guys, huh?" Syaoran said, jokingly.

"Huh?" she looked at him curiously, but maintained her quick pace.

"First a cheater, and now a pervert," Syaoran shook his head, openly amused by Sakura's humiliated face.

"I-" Sakura slowed down, but bit her lip in annoyance, having no comeback to his statement. Syaoran laughed again and she crossed her arms again in frustration. When Syaoran stopped laughing to look at her with his smug grin, Sakura put her hands on her hips and spoke seriously. "Well, what about you, Syaoran? I bet you've had your share of failed relationships."

"Hm," Syaoran put a hand through his hair and placed the other on his chin. Sakura was surprised by his calm reaction and suddenly, her curiosity grew. She thought for a moment and her face smoothed into a contemplative expression.

"Say, Syaoran, now that I think about it," Sakura said. "I don't know much about you."

"Sure, you do - I'm a handsome young man in your calculus class, who is now your boyfriend. What else do you need to know?" Syaoran put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"Syaoran," Sakura rolled her eyes and she could hear Syaoran's low chuckles beside her. "We have to know more about each other if we're going to maintain a relationship, right?"

"Really?" Syaoran said sacastically.

"Really! Like, um, what's . . . what's your favorite fruit?" Sakura asked demandingly. The amusement was back in Syaoran's eyes and he took a moment to think seriously.

"Strawberries," he answered.

"Strawberries? Really?" Sakura asked apprehensively. She seemed to doubt such a simple answer, so he lifted his arms, surprised at her reaction.

"They taste good with melted chocolate," he nodded his head, his thoughts drifting away to his sweet imagination.

"Oh, Syaoran. Too much chocolate can be bad for you," Sakura shook her head, but smiled at his response. Syaoran's eyes went wide and he placed his hands over his ears.

"Ah, I don't wanna hear it," Syaoran said. Sakura looked at his childish face and giggled. Suddenly, his expression cleared from his face and he looked to Sakura to raise an important question.

"Where exactly are we going today?" Syaoran asked her.

"Huh? Oh . . ." She seemed surprised at his question, as if she herself had forgotten. Sakura placed a hand on her chin and looked vaguely at the sky. Syaoran watched her as switched into a mode of thinking. "I guess we didn't really decide . . ."

"You decide. I don't care where we go," Syaoran said. He ran his fingers through his hair again, distracting himself by patting down the strands that stood up and pulling his bangs to the side. Deep in her thinking and unaware of her surroundings, she walked and her foot bumped into a crack in the sidewalk. She leaned over trying to catch her balance, but Syaoran supported her waist with his right arm.

"Be careful," he told her. Then, he reached for her hand and gripped it tightly in his. She blushed and nodded shyly. They continued walking hand in hand until Sakura snapped a finger and his attention was brought back.

"Let's go to your house, Syaoran!" Sakura said excitedly, aiming for his approval. She gave him a bright smile as she said this, but it was a futile effort.

"No," Syaoran replied quickly.

"Why not? You said you don't care where we go," Sakura's clear disappointment made Syaoran roll his eyes.

"Yeah, but why should we go to my house?" Syaoran stopped walking and Sakura stopped to stand alongside him.

"I want to know more about you," she said sweetly. Despite her attempt to persuade him, Syaoran was adamant in refusing to invite her to his house. He ignored her statement and Sakura's face scrunched up in annoyance.

"C'mon, why not?" she asked again. There was a whiny tone in her voice, now that she was even more curious about him.

"Just because," Syaoran said, stubbornly.

"Because what?" her constant inquiries seemed to agitate him, so she drew back and asked in a softer tone this time. She looked at him worriedly and found an anxious look on his face. He started walking again, but she didn't budge from her spot as she waited for an answer.

"Look, there's just a lot of stu-" as he started his explanation, a woman standing a few meters behind him seemed to call out to him. Syaoran's eyes widened and as he turned around to look at the woman, he froze. Sakura shook his arm lightly and called his name, but he did not reply as he continued to watch the woman who was now approaching them.

Sakura stared closely at this woman and could not pull her eyes away as she realized the level of her beauty. When she finally stood in front of the couple, Sakura hid shyly behind Syaoran, clutching onto his arm, while closely taking in the full extent of her features. The woman's glossy black hair fell behind her in a long ponytail and blew delicately in the wind. The light make-up that was noticeable on her face made her glow, but her sharp eyes caught Sakura by surprise and her embarrassment caused her to look away quickly.

Syaoran spoke first, but Sakura realized that she did not understand the words coming out of his mouth. Instead of his usual articulate Japanese, she heard an unfamiliar language. The woman responded to him, and he continued the conversation with a slightly angry expression. Listening carefully with her limited knowledge of foreign languages, she began to recognize the language as Chinese. She remained quiet as both figures spoke animatedly to each other. There was a tension between them she dared not disturb.

"Sakura, I'm sorry," Syaoran swiftly grabbed Sakura's hands and released them from his own arm. "We can't go out today."

"But Syaoran - " Sakura was taken aback and unsure about how to react. She reached out to grab a hold of his arm once again, but he was too quick for her. After saying a final sentence to the woman, he faced the direction opposite her and raced off, shoving her in the shoulder so that she now faced the same direction. She was frozen in shock as she simply watched him leave.

"What . . . " Sakura only stood there, staring at his running figure, until a hand rested on top of her shoulder. Sakura looked up to gaze into the dark eyes of the woman behind her.

"Who are you?" her Japanese had a slight accent, but Sakura understood her words clearly.

"M-my name is Sakura," Sakura moved her body to properly stand in front of her and bowed. "Kinomoto Sakura."

"Kinomoto-san - " the woman started, but Sakura interrupted.

"Ah, y-you can just call me Sakura," she said nervously.

"As you wish. Sakura-san, are you friends with my son?" her eyes remained serious as she spoke.

"Y-yes," Sakura answered, nervously.

"I see," the woman said nothing more and Sakura grew more nervous by the second. Out of panic, she spit out the first thing to come to mind.

"Would you like to come inside my house?" Sakura's hands shook with anxiety, unlike the woman, who stood motionless in front of her.

"Please show me the way," the woman bowed her head elegantly. Sakura blushed in embarrassment and frantically bowed back.

"O-kay the - I m-mean, uh, it's he- c-close - um, it's just, uh, i-it's close," Sakura struggled to control her stammering, but her uneasiness did not disappear, so she decided to stay silent and let the woman follow her lead. The two walked back down the block, where the couple had just been. As they came close to the end of the block, Sakura stopped in front of the second to last building.

"Um, this is it, and, i-it's not much, but, um, well, l-let's go in," Sakura used one hand to point towards the building and the other to tuck back her hair neatly.

"Oh, let me get that," Sakura held the door out for the woman and she bowed her head in appreciation, keeping her straight posture. Neither of them made eye contact as they entered through the glass doors. As soon as she was inside, Sakura ran ahead to press the elevator button while the woman observed the room curiously. A ringing noise indicate the arrival of the elevator and the two stepped in.

"Here we are," Sakura searched her pocket for her keys as the two walked out of the elevator. "I know the second floor is only two floor up, but I thought it'd be nicer to take an elevator."

Sakura took out her keys from her right pocket and after flipping through them in one hand, she gripped onto one with her finger and thumb to push it into the keyhole of her apartment door. She opened the door and held our her arm to welcome the woman.

"Please c-come in," Sakura said.

"Thank you. Excuse me," the woman entered the room and stopped in front of the shoe rack to remove her flat black shoes. Sakura closed the door quickly and hurried to grab a pair of slippers, and then kneeled down to put them in front of the woman.

"Y-you can use these," she stepped back and looked for her own slippers to wear. The woman said nothing.

"Um, I-I guess I'll g-go make tea," Sakura slid her slippers hastily over the smooth wooden floors. She looked back to say to the woman, "oh, you can take a seat at the table."

Once Sakura reached the safe haven of her kitchen, unseen by the woman now sitting at her dining table, she rested her body against the wall and sighed. She took another deep breath and let it out. Then, she started her preparations for tea.

"U-um, here's some, uh, g-green tea," a few minutes later, Sakura held a tray of two cups filled with hot tea, along with a small silver teapot. As she put down the second cup of tea, the woman held out her hand, placing it gently over Sakura's trembling hand.

"There's no need to be nervous," the woman said with a soft smile. "Thank you for the tea."

Sakura only nodded her head and, after carefully placing the teapot in the middle of the table, took a seat across from the woman, dropping the tray beneath her chair. The woman slowly took a sip of her tea and Sakura only blew at the white smoke rising from her tea. The woman swallowed so quietly, Sakura could not tell she was drinking.

"This tea is very sweet," she remarked. Sakura's eyes widened and she quickly jumped out of her seat.

"Ah! I'm sorry! Should I make a new one?" she almost yelled.

"No, it's fine," she said. The woman took another sip, as if analyzing its taste, and she looked at Sakura curiously.

"Honey?" she asked.

"Yeah, I mean, y-yes. My parents always made tea with honey, so I took up that habit," Sakura tilted her head awkwardly and tried to smile.

"Have you ever served this to my son?" her question brought Sakura's mind back to Syaoran, and it helped distract her a little from her edginess, but only for a little while.

"N-no. Syaoran told me he doesn't like tea," she said. Then, she faced the woman again and Sakura's shoulders shivered nervously, but she forced them down and breathed out to relax her muscles.

"I see," the woman replied. When the woman did not speak again for what seemed like time without end, Sakura bravely spoke up.

"So . . . um . . . uh, um, I'm sorry, w-what was, uh, y-your name, again?" Sakura's eyes darted from the cup to her face, and she coughed several times, trying to clear her throat to hide her discomfiture.

"I apologize for not introducing myself," the woman understood immediately the cause of Sakura's dilemma, and suddenly grew serious.

"O-oh, no, no, no. I-it's fine," Sakura said, fluttering her hands.

"My name is Li Ye Lan. I am Syaoran's mother," she bowed to Sakura, as one would do during a first meeting.

"Ah, n-nice to meet you," Sakura bowed her head back.

"What is your relationship with my son?" Sakura blushed and under the pressure, she answered with what seemed to be reasonable in such a situation.

"F-friends. W-we're just, um, just friends," Sakura smiled awkwardly, feeling the guilt rise in her throat. She did not mean to lie, the words simply forced their way out of her. She would tell the the truth eventually. Although, she might have to explain this to Syaoran. A million of these thoughts circled through Sakura's mind.

"I see. How is Syaoran doing? Has he been well?" Ye Lan looked away now, and Sakura was snapped out of her temporary contemplations.

"Eh? Oh, h-he's great! He's always teasing me and taking me out, and I don't know where he gets all his energy, but he's, uh, doing just great," Sakura stopped herself from rambling and swallowed a sip of her tea.

"I am relieved to hear that," Ye Lan smiled again, but there was a hint of sorrow that Sakura could detect from her eyes. A moment of silence passed through them. Again, Sakura brought up the courage to attempt to break the silence.

"S-so, what brings you to Tomoeda? I heard from Syaoran that his family lives in Hong Kong," she said.

"I have come here for Syaoran," Ye Lan stared down at her tea. Sakura's heart dropped.

"F-for Syaoran? L-like, to t-take him back home?" she asked.

"That was what I had planned, but it seems he has refused to return," at her words, Sakura became slightly relieved, but she was now curious about the situation.

"Why have you come to take him home?" Sakura asked. Ye Lan stared at Sakura seriously, taking in her features and her expression, as if she were analyzing her.

"You seem to be a very nice girl, Sakura-san. My son also seems to care about you more sincerely than any other girl I have seen by his side," Ye Lan's delicate smiling face returned, and Sakura felt the pink color rise in her cheeks from her positive words.

"You see, Syaoran's father passed away when Syaoran was very young, and his death had been a huge impact in his life. He was ten years old at the time, and old enough to understand the situation, but too young to know how to deal with the situation," Ye Lan began her story, but thinking about the Syaoran she knew, Sakura continued listening with an unexpectedly aching heart.

"At the time, I was also very deeply affected by my husband's death. As a mother, I should have been more supportive of my children, but . . .," Ye Lan paused to sigh, and press her forehead in regret.

"There were many things I regret saying to Syaoran. What I had hoped was for him to become strong and be able to confront his father's death. I did not want him to suffer the pain I had felt," Ye Lan's eyes shined with a layer of liquid that almost dropped down as tears. She stopped her story once more to close her eyes and return to her somber expression.

"I suppose at his age, what he needed was comfort and not strength. He became rebellious and at that time, my husband's business was at a great risk of bankruptcy, so I viewed his behavior as childish and shameful," Ye Lan shook her head. Sakura noticed her empty cup and reached over to take hold of the silver teapot. She poured more tea into Ye Lan's cup and then into her own.

"He always pushed me away, and on the day of his high school graduation, I attended his ceremony only to learn that he had boarded a plane to Japan. I have restrained myself from coming here for two years, but as a mother, I worry about him every day," she put her hands around the cup of tea, but did not drink.

"Doesn't he call sometimes?" Sakura asked, innocently.

"I have tried contacting him in the past, but he has never answered. Today was the first time I have spoken to him in years," Ye Lan replied.

"Oh. Well, that's not right," Sakura's anxiety was replaced by displeasure. "No matter what happened, he shouldn't make his mother worry like this."

"Thank you, dear, but I understand his feelings now, he has -" Ye Lan smiled at her, but blinked in surprise as Sakura abruptly interrupeted.

"Even if you understand his feelings, he should understand yours, too! I know what it feels like to lose someone close to you, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the ones that are still with you . . ." Sakura sat up when she said this, but realized that her mind had wandered off to one of her own memories. "I'm sorry. I spoke out of place."

"No, it's quite all right. Thank you, Sakura-san. I only wish there was something I could do for my son," Ye Lan said. She glanced at the clock and sighed, standing up. "I believe it is time for me to take my leave."

"O-oh, okay," Sakura jumped out of her seat, grabbing onto the chair before it fell behind her. She went to the front door, placing down Ye Lan's shoes in front of her. She bowed to thank her and handed her slippers to Sakura, who threw them into her closet while Ye Lan bent over to put on her shoes.

"Thank you, Sakura-san, for listening to my story," Ye Lan stepped outside into the hallway. She turned around once more to say, "and I'm sure Syaoran would enjoy your tea."

"Oh, i-it's nothing. I-I can walk you out -" Sakura said. She quickly put on her shoes, hopping from side to side, but Ye Lan put up her hand to stop her. "Please allow me to escort myself out," Ye Lan rummaged through her purse to take out a small piece of folded paper. She offered the paper to Sakura. "Please take care of my son."

Sakura bowed and seized the paper with both hands. Ye Lan walked away towards the elevator and Sakura made sure to watch until she entered through the doors before closing her apartment door. She unfolded the piece of paper to discover an address written neatly in script across the middle.

"Must be where Syaoran lives . . . eh? This is . . . " Sakura smirked in realization. "No wonder he's always so early."

Sakura leaned against her door, pondering her next move. Ye Lan had now entrusted her to take care of Syaoran, but her mind was blank. Sakura decided to relieve her newfound stress with a snack. She walked despairingly to the refridgerator and opened the heavy white door. Other than the customary condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, among a few others, she looked inside to find only a half a carton of milk, a medium-sized container of yogurt, a few slices of cheese, a stick of butter, and a plastic box of strawberries.

"Hm," Sakura picked up the strawberries and the container of yogurt, using her right foot to close the door. "Guess this is all I have."

She placed the two items on top of her kitchen counter and reached up to open the cabinet, looking for a bowl. Just as she touched the bowl she wanted, something struck her inside. An old memory returned to her and an idea popped into her head. Instead of grabbing the bowl, she closed the cabinet and looked for a basket. Carrying the basket with her left arm, she began searching for new items.

She looked for some plastic cups in the cupboard underneath her sink, and threw a few of them into the basket. There was a box of unused spoons beside the plastic cups, and wriggling her fingers in a moment of thought, she went ahead and threw them into the basket as well. Finally, she grabbed the container of yogurt and the strawberries to fill in the space left in the basket. Slipping her shoes on, Sakura used one hand to lock her door and left her apartment to follow the address written on the slip of paper.

Once out of her apartment building, she continued to the end of the block and turned left at the corner. Sakura gazed at the address to memorize the numbers clearly in her mind. When she was satisfied, she folded the paper in half twice and slipped it into her back pocket. Sakura had only walked two blocks when she stood in awe in front of a large light brown building. She flipped open her cellphone and quickly dialed a number.

"Hello? Syaoran? Hey, are you at home?" Sakura asked the gruff voice that answered.

"So what if I am?" his irritated mood was reflected clearly in his tone.

"Well, it just so happens that I'm standing outisde your building," Sakura smiled triumphantly, rocking the basket gracefully on her side.

"What? How cou - " Syaoran was cut off but Sakura waited patiently. She heard him sigh sharply. "Fine. Don't move."

Sakura closed her phone and slipped it back into her back pocket. She held the basket closely against her stomach with her arms, waiting for him to arrive. Syaoran appeared between the darkened glass doors and they slid open automatically. The expression on his face was unreadable, but Sakura could identify that it was not a positive one.

"What are you doing here? How'd you find this place?" Syaoran asked.

"Well it's not hard to find, considering it's only two blocks away from my apartment. Why didn't you tell me you lived so close?" Sakura used her left hand to hold the basket and the other to point at him contentedly.

"Look, it's not a good time, so just say what -" Syaoran rolled his eyes and tousled his hair.

"I had some tea with your mom," Sakura said quickly.

"You what?" Syaoran was now alert and giving her his full attention.

"Well, I didn't want to leave her all alone after what happened, and I wa-" Sakura shrugged her shoulders, almost the way Syaoran did sometimes.

"So you went with her to drink tea?" Syaoran seemed angry.

"No, I invited her to my apartment," Sakura said sheepishly. Syaoran sighed and shook his head in distress.

"What did she tell you?" Sakura hesitated to tell him, and then remembered her idea after noticing the basket in her hand.

"If you let me in, I'll tell you," Sakura said. Syaoran was stunned and tapped his foot, contemplating his choices.

"No," he said, starting to turn around.

"Wait!" Sakura grasped onto his arm and showed him the basket. "I have something for you, too."

"What?" he looked curiously into the basket, but Sakura moved it out of his view.

"Let me in and I'll give it to you," Sakura asked again, and Syaoran sighed.

"Sakura, it's late. Are you sure you want to be inside an apartment all alone with a healthy young male? And in such light clothing?" Syaoran pointed out.

"What? What's wrong with my outift?" Sakura now glanced at her outfit and her face became confused. Syaoran looked at her anxious face and groaned at her ignorance. He startled Sakura by taking her hand and pulling her towards the building.

"Next time you come, at least put on a jacket," Syaoran whispered in defeat.

Syaoran kept his tight grip on her hand even as they waited for the elevator. They entered the elevator hand in hand and waited the same way. Sakura watched the numbers light up one by one and the elevator finally slowed down as the light behind the number 17 turned on. Syaoran let go of her hands, to detach his keys from his pants.

"Come on," he hurried to his room, and Sakura with a much smaller frame and shorter legs sprinted to follow his pace. The hallway was short and there were only two doors. One door had a symbol indicating the staircase. Syaoran stopped in front of the other door, in which he inserted his keys.

"Eh? Is this entire floor yours, Syaoran?" Sakura wondered.

"Just come in," Syaoran opened the door wide and allowed her to enter. He took off his shoes and dropped them on a rack just a few feet away from the door, so Sakura did the same.

"So?" Syaoran asked, impatiently. "What did my mom say to you?"

"Well, before that, do you like strawberry parfait?" Sakura held up her basket, smiling awkwardly. Syaoran exhaled noisily and pressed his forehead similar to the way his mother did.

"Sure, I guess, but what - are you planning on making some?" Syaoran looked at her in disbelief.

"Yep," Sakura casually walked inside the spacious apartment, unable to hide the astonishment clearly plastered on her face. "Wow, Syaoran, this is an amazing place."

"Yeah, sure, let's just go to the kitchen," he just shrugged and pushed her towards the kitchen. Sakura's eyes wandered around taking in orderliness of the apartment. Other than the furniture, there wasn't anything to fill the many open spaces in between.

"There. Do what you need to do," Syaoran left her standing in a kitchen with a counter that allowed her to see the living room, and she watched Syaoran plop himself down on the black couch in front of his television.

"All right, let's do this," Sakura murmured to herself, clenching her fists in a determined manner. She carefully placed the items from her basket onto the counter and pushed aside the basket. She began her arrangements by taking out two plastic cups and filling them with a few dollops of vanilla yogurt.

Sakura then searched for a cutting board and found one next to a sink nearby. She held that under her arm as she picked out a knife. When she placed them down, she made sure to thoroughly rinse the strawberries under cold water before cutting them into slices. As soon as all the strawberries were cut, she put down the cuttingboard and the knife in the sink. Then, she scooped up a handful of strawberries and sprinkled it on top of the yogurt, repeating the same for both cups.

"That's it?" she dropped the last few strawberries messily, startled by Syaoran's presence. He leaned against the kitchen doorway with his hands crossed at his chest and looked questioningly at what she was about to serve.

"What? It's strawberry parfait," Sakura blushed in embarrassment.

"It's just yogurt," Syaoran stepped forward to observe the cups. "with strawberries on top."

"Yeah. That's all you need," Sakura smiled.

"Really?" Syaoran chuckled, but even as he covered his mouth, Sakura recognized his usual smug laughter.

"What? Just because you're rich, the parfait you eat is better than what I make?" Sakura pouted. Syaoran chuckled again and planted a kiss at the edge of her pouting lips. Sakura turned her head, touching the spot her kissed her.

"Seriously, what's this all about?" Syaoran stretched his arm to grab two spoons, and then placed one next to one of the cups, keeping the other one to dig in. He ate a mouthful of yogurt with a piece of strawberry he managed to pick up and chewed expressionlessly.

"Well, your mom told me about, um, your f-father," Sakura began, and Syaoran said nothing, so she inhaled deeply to calm herself before she continued. She saw him take another spoonful of the parfait.

"My mother used to make this for us - my dad, my brother, and me - when she was still alive. After she died, my father started making this for me, but I'd never eat it," Sakura put both hands on the counter to lean against it. She looked up at the ceiling to avoid Syaoran's gaze.

"Seeing this parfait would remind me of how much I missed my mother, and then I would start crying. If this is how it felt to remember her, I never wanted to eat strawberry parfaits again. I was upset when my dad would force himself to make it. I knew he missed her, too." Sakura smiled wistfully.

"But one day, I lost a picture of my mother that I kept in my room. I think I, uh, pushed it off my desk, or s-something, and it f-fell into some space, but anyway, um, my dad helped me find it," a tear glistened in Sakura's eye, but she closed her eyes and lifted her head up. She took in a noisy breath through her nose and then covered her nose with her hand. When her hand dropped, corner of her lip lifted into a brief smile, remembering the memory.

"He told me it was important to cherish the memories of the people who leave us behind," Syaoran put down the cup and held the spoon in his right hand, in between his forefinger and his thumb. Hearing her sniffles behind him made him squeeze the spoon tighter, but he let out a breath to release his grip and scooping a few pieces of strawberries with his spoon, he ate another mouthful of the parfait. Sakura took another deep breath and then faced Syaoran with a sincere look.

"Syaoran, I don't know what your mom said or did in the past, but she just wanted you to confront the situation. She didn't want you to run away from it," Sakura placed her hands on top of his, both resting on the kitchen counter. "From then on, eating this always cheered me up because I remembered my mother. So, even though it's not the same for you - "

"It's not the same!" Syaoran slammed his fist onto the counter, with the cup and spoon both clenched tightly within his grip. He let them go and laid his palms flat on the surface of the table.

"It's better to remember than to forget. So, why don't you tell me what you remember about your father?" Sakura said bravely. His bangs covered his eyes, so Sakura could not see his expression, but the constant up and down movement of his shoulders clearly revealed he was angry.

"Sakura . . ." Syaoran said. "Don't say anymore."

"Syaoran, you have to -"

"Sakura, stop it!" Syaoran's fists hit the counter again, startling Sakura.

"Fine! Just gonna forget about him, then. Ignore him. Leave him behind," she raised her voice just as high. Sakura let her tears fall freely, and stepped closer to Syaoran's back. "Just like he left you behind.

". . . Sakura . . . " his tone was still asking her to stop. Syaoran kept his expression veiled by his disheveled hair.

"He shouldn't have left like that," she reached out her hand and hesitantly, but firmly placed it on his shoulder. He did not repeat his words, and instead she heard his strenuous breathing. Sakura turned him around, but he kept his head down. She cupped both hands around his face and stroked the side of his cheeks with her thumbs. "It's all his fault, right?"

"No! Don't say that . . . he's not . . ." Syaoran said in a quiet voice. He put one of his hands on top of hers, using the other to lean on the side of the counter. He sighed and yielded to Sakura's touch. Sakura could see his eyes closed underneath the thick brown hair veiling his eyes.

"He's not what?" Sakura moved closer, so that her body was now touching his, and her chest moved at the rate of his erratic heartbeat.

"I . . . I'm the one at fault . . . and," he looked at her now, with half-open eyes. "I couldn't forget him even if I wanted to."

"Then don't," Sakura locked her eyes with his, ignoring the droplets of tears moistening her face. The emerald tint in her eyes glowed beneath her rapid eyelashes. "Tell me what you remember."

"Why are you making me say it?" Syaoran's eyes never removed its gaze from those luminous green eyes.

"So that you won't lock it away to be forgotten, like I almost did once," Sakura said. Syaoran inhaled deeply, and Sakura withdrew the hands rested on his cheeks, but he took them both in one hand and kissed them. Sakura placed them back around his face and pulled the hair covering his eyes to the side, tucking the long strands behind his ear.

"When I was little, I wanted to be just like him," Syaoran lifted his other hand from the counter and used his palm to swab away the wet tears on her damp cheeks.

"Really?" Sakura smiled, caressing the skin alongside his eyes.

"Yeah, I wish you could've met him," Syaoran seemed to smile a little, too.

"Don't you still want to be like him?" Sakura asked.

"Not after my mother forced all the responsibilities of the company on me," Syaoran said. "It was too much pressure."

"But -" Sakura tried to jump in, but Syaoran placed his fingers over her lips.

"I know. I know she didn't mean to be so strict, but . . . I depended so much on my father. I couldn't just accept him being gone so easily," he took his hands away and tightened them by his side. He bit his lip and said, "and I hated how my mother never grieved over his death. She never cried or anything."

"That's not true! She still seemed very upset about it when she was talking to me," Sakura nodded her head in certainty.

"I know, I know that now. I was just a kid - how was I supposed to know, behind that cold look she gave me, she was really suffering?" Syaoran sighed, turning his head away from her. "I just wanted to run away. I didn't want to take over a business that didn't have my father."

"Is that why you came to Japan?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," he said, his voice quieter.

"Do you still want to inherit the company?" she asked again. Syaoran just continued to look away, so she said, "answer me honestly."

"Yeah," with the same restrained voice, and still hiding his face from her.

"That's it then. You just need to tell your mom whe-" her sentence stopped when Syaoran pulled her tightly to his chest and hugged her before any more words could come out of her mouth. One of Syaoran's hands gripped Sakura's small shoulder, and the other was a clenched fist rested flat on her back. Sakura listened to his breathing as it blew down her neck. Then, she heard the sound of his sniffling.

"Syaoran?" Sakura said, a little taken back.

"Don't look at me right now," he said in a muffled voice in between his sniffling. Sakura put her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. Sakura patted his back sympathetically. Just as she was about to speak, he said something into her ear.

"Thank you," he said blew lightly into her ear.

"For having this talk?" Sakura smiled a little, but Syaoran shook his head 'no' and his unruly hair brushed against her neck, tickling her. She listened closely, waiting for him to clear his voice, and asked him again.

"Then, for what?"

"Your mom's strawberry parfait."


	4. Honey Tea

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 4: Honey Tea

Chapter Summary: After agreeing to inherit the company, Syaoran decides to confront his mother about his relationship with Sakura.

"You don't know where she is?" Sakura stared at Syaoran incredulously.

"What? I didn't even know she was in Japan! How would I know where she's staying?" Syaoran paced around the coffee table in the middle of his living room as held the cup of strawberry parfait in his hand. He took another spoonful and chewed on a whole strawberry, tapping the spoon against the bulge of the strawberry on his mouth as he tried to think of possibly solutions to his new problem.

"This is kind of ironic," Sakura sat on his couch, with one leg crossed over the other, picking at her own cup of strawberry parfait. Syaoran stopped to look at her and took another bite.

"Because she gave me the address to your house, but now we're trying to find where she lives," she said.

"Yeah, how nice of her," the sarcasm was apparent in his voice, and as Syaoran rolled his eyes, it became even more so.

"What's with that tone? " Sakura raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, puzzled by the sudden sarcasm.

"Considering your recklessness," Syaoran pointed at her with his spoon.

"What?" she still seemed confused.

"I knew you'd come here if something like this happened, which is exactly why I didn't tell you where I live," Syaoran said. Syaoran brushed through his thick hair and let out a breath of frustration at his naive girlfriend.

"I understand the fact that she doesn't know how dense you can be about men, but apparently, she trusts me way too much," Sakura didn't reply and only looked at him with the same perplexed expression. Syaoran shook his head and smirked. "Never mind, let's just drop that topic."

"Um . . . okay, so what are we going to do? Is there anyone who might know where your mom is staying?" Syaoran's face lit up for a second as she spoke, but he shook the thought away. Sakura did not let this go unnoticed.

"What? Do you know someone who would know?" Syaoran ignored her and pretended to be occupied with eating his parfait.

"Syaoran!" Sakura stood up and with her hands on her hips, stared at him intolerantly. He let his arms drop without letting go of the cup and spoon, and whined.

"No, I don't wanna call them," he tapped his foot immaturely, and Sakura giggled at his childlike behavior.

"Call who?" Sakura sat back down to enjoy this cute side of him that had been concealed until now.

"My sisters," he said, grumpily. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with calling your sisters?" Sakura asked.

"They're just so . . . ugh," Syaoran stabbed into his parfait spitefully.

"What? They can't be that bad," Sakura said, and almost immediately as she said that, Syaoran began coughing excessively. His suspicious behavior sparked a sudden annoyance and brought back the curiosity about him she felt just before.

"Syaoran. What is so bad about your sisters that you can't tell me?" Sakura stood up slowly from her seat, gesturing that she would walk over to him.

"Sakura . . ." Syaoran whimpered weakly. Sakura eyed him with an intense stare, and he just flopped his arms in defeat.

"They're crazy, Sakura! If I call them now, something in their brains will go off and make them think that 'Syaoran calling home' somehow means 'go to Japan' and I really don't want them to come!" Syaoran moved to kneel before Sakura, who currently stood opposite him and hugged her legs tightly. "Don't make me call them! Just imagine the chaos!"

"Syaoran! You're being ridiculous," Sakura gently tried to pry off the arms wrapped around her legs, but to no avail.

"No, Sakura, you don't understand, they're crazy, I tell you, crazy" Syaoran shook his head and his head rubbed against her legs, which tickled her and Sakura felt her mouth widening into a smile. She resisted the urge to laugh at such a childish side of him. He continued his rant about his 'crazy' sisters.

"S-syaoran," Sakura bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Stuck in their outlandish position, the doorbell rang and two of them instantly averted their attention towards the door. Sakura took that chance to push Syaoran onto the floor, and he landed on his back with his arms stretched out, the parfait and spoon still occupying his two hands.

"Who do you think it is . . . ?" as Sakura pulled down her shirt neatly and made her way towards the door to open it, Syaoran's thoughts clicked together and he jumped back onto his feet in an instant. He put his parfait down on the coffee table and quickly leaped over the couch to Sakura.

"Wait, don't ope-" Syaoran threw out his hands as fast as he could, but before his hand could make contact with Sakura's shoulders, she had already begun opening the door. He stopped himself beside Sakura and the two of them grew rigid as their eyes met with the familiar sharp eyes of Ye Lan.

"Hello, Syaoran," she noticed Sakura and chose to speak in Japanese.

"Hi, mom," Syaoran took a second to glare at Sakura, who rubbed her head innocently beside him.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" the atmosphere was stiff as the three of them stood there awkwardly. Syaoran rolled his eyes and sighed, opening the door wide for his mother to enter the apartment.

"Yeah, come in," he said. Sakura made small steps backwards and smiled at Ye Lan as she passed her, directly going towards the two couches, but then just standing there silently. Syaoran pulled Sakura close to him and they turned their backs to Ye Lan, huddled together.

"I told you not to open the door!" Syaoran whispered angrily.

"No, you didn't!" she retorted.

"Well, you weren't listening!" Syaoran replied with an escalating frustrated tone. Sakura looked at him with the same frustrated expression.

"How did you know it was her?" she asked.

"Did my mother give you my address?"

"Yeah," Sakura blinked, trying to connect her thoughts. "It could have been someone else."

"Sorry to tell you Sakura, but I'm not very popular around here. There isn't anyone else I could expect," he tried to help her figure it out, but Syaoran didn't bother waiting for her.

"If she gave you my address, then obviously she knows where I live! Of course she'll come visit me herself!" he whispered loudly as he grabbed Sakura with both hands and shook her back and forth. Sakura put her palms on his chest, trying to stop him, but Ye Lan interrupted first.

"Syaoran," she caught his attention instantly and he his body stiffened into a robot-like figure and he moved slowly towards his mother.

"Yes?" he smiled with his teeth gritted. Ye Lan was still standing, and even with the distance between them, it was clear how petite she seemed in comparison to Syaoran's sturdy build.

"Sit," she looked up at him to stare into his eyes, but he quickly avoided her eyes and focused on Sakura, who was standing farther back on his right side, encouraging him. She made arm gestures while nodding her head vigorously, making a sweeping notion with her hands to signal him to speak to his mother. Sakura was determined not to allow their previous conversation to be in vain.

"Yes, mother," he said, and he sat down on one of the couches. Ye Lan seemed disappointed as he continued to avoid her eyes. Once she was also seated on the couch opposite him, Syaoran's mouth opened again. Sakura bit her lip and clenched her fists firmly, anticipating his next words.

"I haven't changed my mind," his resonant voice exposed not one bit of doubt and his eyes were unmistakably confident. Ye Lan watched her son with unsmiling eyes and nodded. Sakura was glad that they decided to speak in Japanese. She listened to their words warily.

"I know," Ye Lan said. Sakura only stared blankly at the both of them, her heart pounding uneasily. She felt the sweat forming on the palm of her hands, and the conversation fell further away from her attention. Then, she heard her name being called and jolted back into reality.

"Sakura-san, would you mind making us some tea?" Ye Lan asked with eyes so gentle, Sakura could not resist her body from nodding. Ye Lan rested her purse on the arm of the couch folded her hands over her knees. When Sakura entered the kitchen, she made sure her body was out of Syaoran's line of vision. She laid back against the wall to pick up their hushed words.

"All I ask is for you to allow me to date Sakura," Syaoran's words struck a chord inside Sakura's heart and her face nearly exploded in a burst of scarlet blush. Sakura leaned over to see through the window above the counter and darted her eyes from Syaoran to Ye Lan, scrutinizing the two of them meticulously. She gulped, and ignoring the sweat forming around her fingers again, before Ye Lan could say the words about to come out of her mouth, Sakura flew out of the kitchen and spoke up.

"U-um, excuse me, could Syaoran and I please have a minute?" Sakura stood beside the couch and held out one finger to Ye Lan, who simply nodded her head once. Sakura pulled Syaoran quickly off the couch and dashed back into the kitchen. She led him inside with her, where she pressed him against the wall to have him face her, but her nervous eyes could not place themselves onto his.

"Syaoran, why would you ask her something like that?" Sakura whispered, but loud enough for Syaoran to pick up the restlessness in her voice.

"Well, we're technically already going out, so . . . why not?" Syaoran shrugged.

"That's true, b-but you don't have to tell your mom!" Sakura slapped his arm, and Syaoran rubbed the area with an expression of pain on his face.

"Why not? She has the right to know that her son is in a relationship!" Syaoran rolled his eyes and then focused them back onto Sakura, who held one elbow with one hand and rubbed her forehead with the other. When she didn't reply, Syaoran took both her elbows and said, "Do you not want to be in a relationship with me?"

"No, Syaoran, I really like you, and you treat me better than any guy has ever treated me," Sakura blinked timidly, but attempted to look directly into his eyes.

"That's because I'm serious about you," Syaoran's reaction remained cool, nothing like Sakura, who's squirmy body movements almost amused Syaoran. He leaned back on the wall and tilted his head to peek at the back of his mother, and said, "so, I want to properly have her approval."

"Why have it as a condition? You want to inherit your company anyway!" Sakura said to him in incredulity, her hands flying up and almost smacking him in the face. "Is it because she wouldn't agree otherwise?"

"Calm down, Sakura," he caught her arms in the air and put them down.

"Calm down? Don't tell a woman to calm down, Syaoran, I - " her arms flailed even in his firm grip.

"You what? What's so wrong about letting my mother know I want a girlfriend?" he said.

"Nothing! That's not the issue here!" she whispered loudly into his face, her words blowing wind into his eyes. He blinked and she quieted down for a moment.

"Then, what is?" he asked.

"Me!" her answer was a bolt from the blue to him and when he tried to study her expression, Sakura let her bangs fall over her face.

"You?" he asked, the cool tone of his voice now replaced with bewilderment.

"Yeah . . . 'cause I'm just . . . not . . . just . . ." Sakura still had her head down, but Syaoran took her chin to make her look up at him.

"Just what?" he said. Sakura turned her head and stared at the ground to avoid his gaze as she spoke, but that only made him move his face closer. She could feel wafts of his warm breath on her cheeks.

"Nobody," Sakura mumbled. Syaoran took hold of her chin again and tilted her face towards him.

"Nobody what?" he asked again. Their eyes were now parallel to each other and Syaoran's deep amber eyes flashed with intensity that nearly sent her heart skyrocketting out of her chest. She pushed him back and turned around and started taking deep breaths to relax her heartbeat. Then, she continued without turning back around.

"I'm just a nobody, Syaoran. Just a plain girl in your calculus class, which happens to be my worst class, and I love my family, but there's nothing special about what they do, and I can't even afford to buy enough groceries sometimes, your mother will never approve of me! You just . . ." she ended with a long sigh. Sakura massaged her forehead again, as she often did when stress overcame her.

"Just what?" Syaoran took her hand away from her forehead and used his own fingers to stroke the same spot.

"You just don't get how I feel," Sakura said. "You don't know how nervous I was when she came over for tea, I mean - "

"Sakura," Syaoran tried to interrupt her, but her rambling continued.

"- I can't even hold my head up in front of her -" Syaoran repeated her name, but Sakura was now in a different world, drowning in her worries.

"- and even though I've be -" in a split second, Syaoran's arms enveloped around Sakura's thin shoulders and she gasped, startled from his abrupt hug.

"I know how you feel," he said, "you think it's easy for me to talk to her?"

"She's your mother, Syaoran," Sakura spoke into his shirt.

"Exactly! It's that much harder for me, because she's always right and I'm always wrong," his hug loosened a little, but Sakura stood still in his arms.

"But you know what you want to do now, so -" Sakura started, but Syaoran interrupted once more.

"It's only been a a few hours since I've made that decision, how can I face my mother this quickly?" he seemed agitated, so Sakura stroked his back softly.

"Do you not want to tell her, then?" she asked.

"I do! That's why . . . I need you," Syaoran's resonant voice dialed down to a small murmur. His answer threw her off and she waited for him to explain more. As if he had read her mind, he continued to say, "if you were my motivation, I could face my mother any day."

"Really, Syaoran?" she blushed. Syaoran rubbed her back and her heart was fluttering against her chest.

"Yeah. And I know, she'll definitely approve of you," Syaoran's composed voice and his warm embrace stopped the rush of her blood. She breathed in and out and and she placed her hands on top of his arms. Her body felt relaxed. Her mind, however, was still muddled with apprehensive thoughts.

"How do you know?" she gripped his shirt with her fingers.

"If I approve of you, that alone says you're no ordinary girl," Syaoran laid his head in the crook of her neck.

"Syaoran . . . " Sakura's tone indicated that she was not convinced. Syaoran sighed and lifted his head. He bent his head over to rest his forehead on hers, leaving only a tiny space between their eyes, and all he could see was the green light of her eyes, and all she could see was the flaming amber tint in his.

"Listen to me. You're a beautiful and incredibly kind girl, Sakura. You could never be nobody to me, you're my whole world right now," he articulated his words slowly with a deep tone in his voice that melted her inside. Sakura was at a loss for words, and Syaoran felt glad that he was able to see the crimson blush coloring her face as he expressed his emotions to her.

"We've only known each other for two weeks," Sakura murmured.

"All the more reason to keep dating," Syaoran sighed into her ear, sending an exhilarating shock through Sakura body. She shivered and Syaoran chuckled. He released her from his grip and spun her around to pull her into a proper hug. "Don't you want to get to know me better?"

"Syaoran," Sakura giggled, her voice muffled from his shirt pressing against her face. Sakura tilted her head up to look at him with furrowed eyebrows. Syaoran pulled her back onto his chest. "You're the one who doesn't think knowing about each other is important."

"Fine. I'm sorry. I was wrong. I want to know more about you. I want to spend every day together from now on so we can learn everything there is to know about each other," Syaoran said. Sakura sighed into his chest, still unsatisfied.

"I do, too, but . . . what if she makes us seperate?" she asked.

"Sakura, I won't let you go so easily," he held her tight against his chest, any more and she might have lost the air she needed to breathe. Sakura pushed him back with the palm of her hands and inhaled a fresh breath of air, but Syaoran pulled her back and Sakura sighed, secretly smiling.

"Syaoran . . . you didn't tell me you were the son of an elite family. How do I know you won't keep other things from me?" she said, after managing to turn her head, but keep it locked underneath Syaoran's chin.

"You know why I didn't want to tell you," Syaoran replied, and then chuckled. "Because you'd react like this."

"Only because your mom suddenly shows up and . . . and . . ." Sakura pushed him away again, and Syaoran let out an exasperated sigh, but forced a smile to keep his cool. He found Sakura without any words to go on with, so he took the chance to jump in.

"Sakura, no matter what my mother says, we'll find a way to get through it, okay?" Sakura recognized his tone of voice. It was the same stern voice he used to speak to his mother, and she surrendered to his willpower.

"Besides, I'm her son, and I'm just as stubborn as she is," he said, smiling. She smiled, too, and nodded, but the moment Syaoran let her go, she spoke up again.

"Wait," Sakura tugged on his arm, as he tried to pull her forward.

"What?" Syaoran raised an eyebrow, and Sakura hesitated at his now slightly annoyed expression.

"You have to promise me that you'll tell me everything," she said with unwavering eyes. "If we're going through with this, we'll go through it together."

"Sakura . . ." Syaoran stared at her for a moment, taking a second to process his thoughts, but he smirked and said, "Okay."

Sakura smiled and gave him a small kiss on the lips. Syaoran pouted and Sakura stared at him inquiringly. Then, he said, "Is that all I get?"

"Your mother is sitting right there!" Sakura's voice went back down to a whisper, but Syaoran chuckled without restraint. He cupped her jaw in one hand and captured her lips with his own.

Sakura tried to pull his arms away and step backward, but he took one step forward and pressed down with more force. Sakura twisted around and fell backward onto the counter. Syaoran snickered and Sakura stepped on his foot irritably. He feigned a face of pain and laughed.

"Excuse me, I still have tea to make," she said, pushing him in the direction of the doorway. As Sakura stomped her way towards the cupboards, Syaoran walked out the door towards the couch, holding in his laughter. He marched back into the living room to sit down once again in front of his mother. Once he was seated, he cleared his throat to speak again.

"What is your answer, mother?"

"All right," Ye Lan said simply. While pouring honey into the tea, Sakura raised her head in astonishment, she found Ye Lan smiling at her even from across the living room. Sakura could not move her lips to say the words racing through her mind, but she dazedly continued her tea preparations.

When she was done, she placed the three cups on a tray and carefully picked up the tray. She walked over to the table and placed the tray down. Then, she carefully picked up each cup and placed them in front of each person, including herself. She sat down beside Syaoran, and took a deep breath.

"Do you agree to this, Sakura-san?" Syaoran reached over to hold Sakura's hand comfortingly, and she squeezed it back in ease.

"Yes," Sakura said boldly, to her own surprise. She put her other hand on top of his hand that interwined with hers.

"I'll assume that you understand my conditions, then," if it was even possible, the atmosphere stiffened into a more serious tone and Ye Lan's face seemed more chilling. Sakura looked at Syaoran worriedly, but his face was almost as serious.

"Of course," Syaoran answered with a voice also just as stern, Sakura became aware of the resemblence the mother and son really shared.

"All right," she said. Ye Lan seemed just about to say something else, but a ringing sound shattered the tension and all eyes sought out the origin of the sound. Syaoran was the first to move and marched grudgingly towards the back of the room, where a wireless phone vibrated on a table, making continuous resounding ringing sounds.

"Hello?" Syaoran said, grudgingly into the receiver. Sakura watched him, not really processing in her mind what she saw, and all too aware of the woman staring at her from across the couch. Her heart jolted in surprise as she found Ye Lan's eyes studying her. She whirled around and focused on serving the tea she had prepared.

"Thank you, Sakura-san," Ye Lan said as she took a cup of tea in one hand and held it before her mouth. Sakura blushed and shook her head.

"I didn't do anything," she said, and then bowed her head to hide her face.

"I am pleased to hear your modesty," Ye Lan said after taking a short sip of her tea. Sakura said nothing, but she could feel her eyes watching her, and suddenly she felt a hand lift her by the chin. Her face was raised to level with Ye Lan's face and as Sakura had no choice but to stare directly at her, she caught sight of an expression that relaxed her. Then Ye Lan said, "but I believe it was your influence that helped Syaoran change his mind."

Looking at Ye Lan's relieved expression lifted her heart and she could feel it fluttering inside her chest. Now that she was given an opportunity to have a clear look at her face, Sakura could see the touch of old age in her complexion. Before she could only see the dark eyes that would stare so directly at her, but Sakura could see she was not woman to fear, but a motherly figure, gentle and close to angelic, that she had missed deep in her heart. Sakura could see that the anxiety, the fears, the relief, all presented in the smile Ye Lan gave her, were for her son.

In Sakura's mind, Ye Lan's face seemed to transform slowly, taking the form of her mother. She saw the comforting smile of her mother again, all in a single moment, as they simply exchanged glances, and in another second, a tear trickled down Sakura's cheek. Ye Lan's smile vanished and a surprise appeared on her face.

"Sakura-san?" Ye Lan asked, her hand was now on her cheek, hovering over the wet cheek. Another tear slipped from Sakura's eyes and this time, Ye Lan used her hand to wipe it away.

"Ah, s-sorry," Sakura jerked backward, away from her touch and sunk into the couch. She sniffed in the fluid in her nose and rubbed her eyes to prevent the tears nearly spilling over. Even with her eyes closed and rubbed forcefully, the image did not show the slightest sign of fading from her mind. The smiling face of her mother was still vivid in her mind.

"I was, um, thinking of m-my mom," Sakura said. Ye Lan said nothing to her and Sakura tried to contain her sobs as tears continued to flow endlessly. Sakura heard Syaoran's muffled voice speaking animatedly into the phone. She felt relieved that her tears were not visible to him and she hastily wiped away the remaining moisture in her eyes to make sure they wouldn't be visible when he came back. Then, Ye Lan pushed forward a cup of tea towards Sakura.

"I apologize for imposing my presence around you, Sakura-san. I think we have all had a meaningful confrontation with our past today," Ye Lan, "but I hope we will be thinking about the future from now on."

"The . . . future?" Sakura picked up the cup of tea and let the smoke fly up in front of her as she waited for it to cool down.

"I follow old traditions, Sakura-san," Ye Lan also picked up her tea, but she despite the heat emitting from the cup, she drank casually and then placed it back down. "When one of my children begin dating, I will, of course, consider marriage as well."

"M-marriage?" Sakura blinked twice, and then once more as the tea in her hands trembled. She watched as Ye Lan, unlike herself, continued to drink her tea in her usual calm manner.

"Did you know, Sakura-san, that Syaoran has never brought home a girl for me to meet?" Ye Lan smiled a little, finding the fact amusing, but Sakura widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Really?" Sakura put her tea down and put her elbows on her knees while resting her chin on her hands.

"Yes, Sakura-san," Ye Lan laughed lightly at the puzzled expression on Sakura's face as she contemplated the details.

"Does that mean he has never had a girlfriend?" Sakura asked.

"Well, if he has, then, unfortunately, I was not aware of it," Ye Lan sighed.

"That doesn't make sense," Sakura said.

"What is it that doesn't make sense?" Ye Lan's smile remained on her face.

"Someone like Syaoran - how could no one want to be his girlfriend?" Sakura tilted her head and looked at the ceiling, pondering a logical answer to the riddle.

"Oh, there were many beautiful young women, most of whom were daughters of company owners I worked with, who came to me wanting to meet him," Ye Lan looked at Sakura closely, as if waiting for her to see the meaning of her words. Sakura still seemed confused, scrunching her nose as she continued her pondering. Ye Lan continued.

"You know, from what I have seen, Syaoran was never good at speaking to girls," Ye Lan began sipping her tea again, not catching the baffled expression that popped up on Sakura's face.

"No way! Syaoran had no problem speaking to me!" Sakura huffed. "In fact, when I met him, he even told off my ex-boyfriend! I mean, that was just amazing, but now, he doesn't stop speaking. He's always making fun of me and this one time he . . . "

Sakura's burst of energy triggered a change in the atmosphere and suddenly, as Sakura's hands began moving animatedly to express her complaints, after putting down her tea, Ye Lan let out a laugh. Sakura stopped abruptly with her mouth open in a stunned expression. She blinked once, and then twice, and realizing how fired up she had almost gotten, Sakura put her hands flat on her lap, blushing madly.

"I'm relieved to know that Syaoran has been doing so well," Ye Lan cleared her throat in a suppressed cough. "Do you understand, Sakura-san? If you are this special to my son, then you are without a doubt an extraordinary girl in my eyes."

At her words, Sakura's shocked eyes returned and she was at a loss for words.

"If you were to consider marrying my son, I would approve," Ye Lan stretched her hand out to place on Sakura's hands, which seemed to calm Sakura's quivering hands, and Sakura looked directly into Ye Lan's eyes once again as she spoke.

"You should have no reason to be so stiff, Sakura-san. I wish the tension between us would disappear," Ye Lan retracted her hand and picked up the purse beside her.

"I hope the relationship between us will be a friendly one, Sakura-san," Ye Lan bowed her head politely, but before she could get up, Sakura snapped out of her daze.

"Sakura!" she nearly shouted.

"I'm sorry?" Ye Lan remained seated.

"If you'd like, you can just call me Sakura," Sakura said shyly, but clearly this time, without stumbling over her words or averting her eyes.

"Sakura, then," Ye Lan smiled, appreciatively. "I must be on my way."

At that moment, Syaoran let out a loud cry of frustration and dropped the phone noisily onto the table. Sakura and Ye Lan turned their attention to Syaoran, who has leaning forward on the table, his face out of sight. Sakura started to call out to him, but again, Syaoran let out an irritated growl. The two women looked to each other and then back at him. Ye Lan got up first, followed by Sakura, who waddled timidly behind her with hands folded over her knees, and she walked toward Syaoran. She placed one hand on his shoulder and he turned around in alarm.

"I am leaving, Syaoran," Ye Lan said.

"Already?" he seemed taken back, but Ye Lan was already walking towards the door. Syaoran sprinted in front of her, reaching the door first and opening it.

"I hope you will at least visit us during your holidays," she stopped to stroke his cheeks, and Sakura caught a glimpse of the normal red tint that appeared on his embarrased face.

"All right," he said, taking his mother's hand and removing it from his face. Then, he walked back to grab Sakura's hand and yanked her to his side. He took a deep breath and Sakura watched him uneasily. Ye Lan also watched him with an eager expression. Her eyes fell to Sakura.

"You are welcome in our home as well, Sakura," Sakura waved, wearing a bright smile, as Ye Lan made her way down the hallway, where the two could no longer see her. Syaoran shut the door and looked curiously at Sakura. She merely shrugged her shoulders and strolled back to the couch, where she plopped down comfortably. Syaoran followed slowly and sat himself on the other side, facing her with a perplexed appearance.

"What?" Sakura asked, picking up her tea and then drinking it.

"What was that?" he replied.

"What was what?" she wasn't sure what he was trying to ask her.

"Since when did you get so friendly with my mother?" Syaoran asked increduously.

"We . . . had a nice talk," Sakura tucked back her hair, and tilted her head, smiling as she thought of her conversation with Ye Lan. Syaoran looked at her suspiciously, but noticed the extra cup of tea on the table.

"Why did you make three servings of tea?" Syaoran picked it up and brought it to his nose to smell it.

"Oh, I know you told me you didn't like tea, but your mother told me you . . ." Sakura watched him breathe in the tiny wafts of smoke that were still rising from the warm tea and then with a hesitant face, drink it. The expression on his face after gulping down a few sips reminded Sakura of a commercial, as if he were the happy character who happened to come across a tasty drink.

"Do you like it?" Sakura asked, finding his reaction remarkable.

"Yeah," Syaoran raised his eyebrows in surprise. "It's sweet."

"Ah," Sakura clapped her hands once in realization, and then, her mind jumped back to think about Ye Lan.

"What?" Syaoran took another sip.

"Your mother knew you'd like this kind of tea, because she knew you had such a sweet tooth," Sakura giggled. "Even though, when I think about it now, it's kind of obvious."

"So? What's wrong with - wait, then," he put down his cup and picked up the cup that Ye Lan had been drinking from. The cup was nearly empty. "My mom drank this tea?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. "Why do you look so surprised?"

"She always drinks bitter tea," he brought the cup closer to his eyes and looked inside. "What did you put in this?"

"Honey," she said.

"Huh," Syaoran put the cup down and leaned back into the couch.

"Your mother really does think about you," Sakura said.

"I know," Syaoran sighed. "I didn't know you made your tea with honey."

"I should make it more often," Sakura said as she started picking up the cups and placing them on the tray.

"Huh? Why?" he took his own cup and gulped down another sip.

"Well, for one thing, you really seem to like it," Sakura said and smiled as she stood up with the tray in hand.

"Yeah, but that's because it's sweet," Syaoran said, drinking the last of the tea and then standing up quickly to put it down on the tray Sakura held. "Adding honey is a really good idea."

"It'd be nice if we could use honey for everything," she said, turning around to walk towards the kitchen.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he called out, sitting back on the couch.

"Like the relationship with your mother," she dropped the cups into the sink and turned on the sink to fill them with water.

"The relationship with my mom?" he asked.

"Well . . . when you have tea with her, you don't have to drink bitter tea," the sink squeaked as Sakura turned it off.

"Wait, I lost you," he stood up and walked to the kitchen doorway, where he crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. "I don't have to drink bitter tea with her?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Hold on, where are we going with this?" Syaoran shook his head in confusion.

"I'm trying to say that your relationship with her doesn't have to be so serious," she stepped closer to him.

"So, I should be friendly with her? Like you were?" he scoffed. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned down to place his face level to hers.

"Yeah."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Just add a little honey to your tea."


	5. Green Tea Ice Cream

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 5: Green Tea Ice Cream

Chapter Summary: After learning that his cousin has come to Japan, Syaoran makes every effort to avoid her, so he decides that the best way is to sleep over at Sakura's house.

"You need a place to hide?" Sakura said as she turned on the faucet and adjusted the temperature by adding hot water. She rinsed her hands under the running water and then picked up a green and yellow sponge that lay flat on a bowl filled with dish soap.

"Yes," Syaoran leaned on the counter next to the sink, and folded his hands together in a pleading gesture.

"Does this have anything to do with the conversation on the phone you just had?" Sakura's eyes were focused on washing the cup in her hand.

"Yeah," he sighed, and let his head and hands fall onto the counter.

"Who was it, anyway?" she asked.

"One of my sisters," he replied in a muffled voice, with his head still on top of the counter. Sakura shook her head as she looked at his dejected figure.

"What did she say?" she asked. Syaoran lifted his head and rested his chin on the palm of his right hand, setting his elbow firmly on the kitchen counter. He faced her, but did not look her in the eyes.

"She had some bad news," he sighed again. He looked at her nonchalant expression and furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. When Sakura sneaked a glance at him, he had a pout on his face and he was tapping the sink, clearly bothered by her lack of concern. Instead of taking it seriously, though, Sakura could not help but giggle at his pouting face.

"Sakura! How can you be laughing? This is serious," his expression was a grim one, but the voice that came out seemed more like whining. Sakura put away the last cup and turned off the faucet.

"How serious?" she asked. She picked up the towel beside the sink and wiped her hands as she smiled to herself and tried to listen sympathetically to her troubled boyfriend. He stood up straight and grasped her shoulders.

"My cousin is coming to Japan," he said slowly.

". . . so?" Sakura wasn't sure how to respond, but she figured that laughing would only frustrate him more, so she kept her giggles suppressed.

"So? So, I need someplace to hide from her!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands back, and then turning around to place them on his hips as he let out another exasperated breath.

"Syaoran, aren't you over-reacting a bit?" Sakura said as she folded the towel in her hands. She placed it on the kitchen counter and stepped beside Syaoran to speak to him while directly looking at his face.

"You don't understand, Sakura," Syaoran shook his head.

"What don't I understand?" she raised an eyebrow.

"My cousin is crazy," Syaoran covered his face with one hand, but Sakura lifted it and held it in both of her hands. She did her best to keep her giggles at a minimum, but she could not stop the smile that formed on her face.

"What are you saying?" Sakura bit her lip to stop the smile from widening.

"You think it's funny, huh?" Syaoran focused his gaze at her now. Sakura shook her head cutely, and he continued to watch her.

"Okay, fine. It's just - seeing you so frustrated like this," Sakura put her hand over her mouth, accidentally letting out a chuckle, "is so cute."

"Oh, really?" Syaoran smirked and moved his face closer to hers, leaning his head slightly to line up his lips with hers. Just as they were closing their eyes, and when Sakura could feel his breath on her lips, he chuckled and turned his head away. He covered his grin with his hand. "Seeing your face when you want a kiss is cute, too."

"You -" Sakura slapped his left shoulder and swiftly turned around to walk into the living room. Syaoran chuckled and trailed behind her.

"That sure cheered me up," he said, making her stopping in her tracks by standing in front of her. His face was serious again. "So, will you help me out?"

"Syaoran, if you want to hide, why don't you go to your friend's house or something?" Sakura asked, with her hands crossed.

"I would, but he's in England right now! I have no way of contacting him when he's that far away! I don't even know why he's there, he didn't even tell me and he just . . ." Syaoran's reply was becoming a rant as he rolled his eyes at the friend who had let him down. Sakura sighed and Syaoran snapped out of his rambling to face her again. "What's that for?"

"What's what for?" she looked up at him reluctantly.

"That sigh. Why are you sighing? Are you seriously thinking of betraying me? Me? Your loyal, loving, handsome boyfriend?" Syaoran said as he took her by the shoulders, shaking her, and then placing his elbows over her shoulders, folding his arms behind her neck. He looked her straight in the eyes and raised an eyebrow amusingly.

"What was that last one?" he asked. Sakura giggled.

"Come on, you can't deny that I'm handsome," he said, touching his forehead to hers.

"Being handsome won't convince me to let you stay at my house," she pushed him lightly to talk to him at an arm's length. His arms loosened around her shoulders and he caressed the hair on the back of her head.

"Just for a few days?" he pleaded.

"No," she shot him down quickly.

"Please, Sakura, this is an emergency," he continued to beg, touching his nose to hers.

"No," she said, with a quieter voice.

"Why not?" he asked. Sakura let her bangs fall over her eyes and bowed her head, covering the blush on her cheeks. She didn't reply, so he said, "Sakura, tell me."

"Tell you, what?" she said innocently.

"Why won't you let me stay at your house?" he scoffed at her attempt to avoid the subject.

"Because," she answered.

"Because . . . what?" he lifted her chin and her rosy cheeks were exposed.

"Just because, okay!" Sakura stepped back, hiding her face again, but Syaoran was already smirking, with a grin that seemed to stretch from ear to ear.

"Oh, I see . . . I didn't think my cute girlfriend could be this perverted . . ." he snickered, but Sakura slapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm not!" she nearly shouted. Syaoran was taken back by her tone, but he decided to choose a lighthearted response to calm her down.

"You're thinking some dirty thoughts, aren't you?" he stared her down as he spoke, "and that's why you won't let me stay over?"

"Th-that's not it!" she stuttered. Syaoran just laughed heartily and kissed her on both cheeks, pulling her into his chest.

"It's not?" he said.

"Syaoran! I'm just-" she tried to push him away, but he held her tightly.

"Just what?" his face was so close, she could feel his warm breath touch her face as he chuckled. She pouted and bit her lip, not answering his question, but the pressure from him was too much for her. Sakura let her arms fall limp beside her.

"Ah, you're so cute, you know that?" he said, rubbing his head on her neck.

"Hmph," Sakura huffed into his chest, but hesitantly, she put her arms around his back and hugged him back.

"I won't do anything," he said softly.

"So you still want to stay over . . ." Sakura sighed into his chest.

"Please?" he asked.

"You're so stubborn," pushed him back at arm's length again and looked at him sympathetically. "Can't you just find another place?"

"Like where?" he said, with his shoulders slumped.

"Like . . . um, well . . . I heard the homeless shelter gives you . . ." she noticed his jaw dropping almost immediately after hearing it and stopped herself. "What?"

"You're gonna abandon me at a homeless shelter? I can't believe this!" he turned away and placed his hands on his hips, bending one of his knees and tapping his foot irately.

"I'm not abandoning you! You already have a nice home, Syaoran! I think this whole idea is just ridiculous!" Sakura exclaimed.

"You don't understand how violent she is, Sakura! If you leave me with her, I might not be alive the next time you see me!" he said, waving her hands dramatically in front of her.

"Oh, Syaoran," Sakura shook her head.

"Sakura, listen to me, please. Please let me stay over," he begged with his hands folded. Unexpectedly, he dropped down to his knees and Sakura gasped, startled by his sudden desperate action.

"Syaoran, don't," she sighed, rubbing her forehead with her eyes closed.

"Please, Sakura," his begging continued, his voice growing more desperate by the minute.

"Syaoran," she sighed again. There was still something hidden behind her expression, and she continued to try to conceal it from him, but Syaoran was persistent.

"I'll be a good boy," he said sweetly.

"Syaoran . . ." she whined. He knew she was giving in to the voice in her heart that sympathized with him. He repeated his begging until Sakura finally sighed once more and opened her eyes.

"Fine," she let her arms drop and in less than a second, Syaoran leaped up off of the floor to hug her and swing her around in celebration.

"I knew I was making the right choice when I kissed you that day - you're the best, Sakura, the best girlfriend a guy could ask for!" he hugged her tighter, unaware of the frown developing on her face as she weeped to herself. He stopped hugging her and grasped her face with both hands to kiss her multiple times on her frowning lips. Sakura blinked in surprise, but moved her head backward and wiped her mouth with her wrist.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to be that happy," she said to him.

"I'm sorry, did you want a proper kiss?" he grinned at her, unable to suppress his joy. He took her face in his hands again and moved closer to her face, slowly this time, and placed his lips on hers. She let her eyelids fall and gave into his kiss. When the two seperated, Syaoran pulled her head onto his shoulder with one hand as hugged her once more with the other.

"Syaoran?" Sakura said.

"Hm?" he said without looking.

"I just remembered something," she replied.

"What?" he expected something serious from the tone of her voice.

"I was planning on going shopping today," she said with her serious tone of voice. Syaoran snorted and then burst out in a quiet laugh, holding onto her tightly, so as to not reveal his grinning face.

"Oh, my, that sounds serious," he said sarcastically.

"Is this how you treat a girl who's letting you stay over?" she suddenly said. Immediately, he let go of her and holding her at her arms, he bent his head over and mouthed an apology. Sakura giggled and stroked one of his cheeks with one hand. She squeezed it playfully and giggled again before turning around and walking away.

"Ow," he rubbed his cheek in pain comically, but Sakura paid no attention. She rummaged through his closet, first taking out a petite black jacket and hanging it on her arm. She pulled out another jacket, which was brown and much larger in size, and held it out for Syaoran to take.

"Let's go," she just said.

"Now?" Syaoran seemed taken back.

"Yeah, I just told you - I have to go shopping," she said.

"For what?" he asked in astonishment.

"For food, what else?" she also seemed confused at his startled manner and decided to just drop his jacket on top of the couch. Syaoran threw his head back in realization and slapped himself on the forehead.

"Oh, I was thinking you wanted to shop for like, shoes or something," he chuckled, relieved to learn that his assumptions were wrong.

"Why would I do that?" Sakura asked.

"I dunno, because girls like to - ah! Wait, before we go, let me pack some stuff," he said, and he was gone in a flash. Sakura had finished putting on her jacket, but sat down and waited patiently on the couch. She rested her head on the palm of her hand after firmly placing her elbow on the top of her leg. Sakura remained in that position for several minutes, and then she heard a thud and the next thing she knew, Syaoran slid into view with a large dark blue duffle bag thrown over his right shoulder.

"Let's head out," he dropped his duffle bag before grabbing his coat on the couch and swinging it around his shoulders to put it on. Sakura picked up his bag and let it fall down with a loud 'thud'.

"Syaoran, what did you pack? Your fridge?" she flapped her hand as if she her hand had been wrestling against gravity.

"I only packed what I need," he shrugged at her, but she looked at him with a doubtful look on her face.

"What exactly did you pack?" she asked.

"A toothbrush and some clothes," he said.

"How many sets of clothing?" she asked more specifically, still looking at him with disbelief.

"Uh . . . I didn't really count, I just sort of threw clothes in there," he rubbed the back of his head and chuckled lightly.

"You know," Sakura sighed, "you can't expect to stay very long."

"I know, I know," Syaoran said, nodding forcefully. "Just for a few days."

"How many days?" Sakura asked staring directly into his wavering eyes, noticing his attempt to avoid straightforward answers.

"Just . . . a few," Syaoran turned around and picked up his duffle bag. Then he said, "Let's just go and talk about it on the way. Didn't you say you had to go shopping? I'll bring my car."

"Syaoran . . ." Sakura started to say something, but Syaoran was already pushing her out the door. She sighed and rolled her eyes at him, but let herself admit defeat. She walked out into the hallway and headed towards the elevator as Syaoran hurriedly slammed the door shut and fumbled for his keys. The keys sprung out of his hands and she watched as he jolted from side to side to grab his keys before they reached the floor. A smile stretched on her face and she bit her lip when she realized she was laughing to herself.

"I can't believe how excited he is," she whispered to herself. She sighed and pressed down on the top right side of her forehead. She blinked and regained her composure when he rushed over beside her and pressed the button for the elevator. They entered and stood silently, until the 'ding' of the elevator signaled them to step off. They left the elevator to enter the parking lot. Syaoran walked forward first, swinging the duffle bag over his shoulders. Sakura remained a reasonable distance to prevent being wacked in the head by his bag.

"We could just walk to the supermarket," Sakura said.

"With this bag?" Syaoran couldn't face her because of the bag on his shoulder, but turned his head slightly to speak.

"You didn't have to pack so much," Sakura said and patted the bag lightly.

"This isn't much," he replied. "Besides, it's my job as your boyfriend to drive you around."

"Really?" she asked, almost touched by his committment.

"Duh. Didn't what's-his-name drive you around? I remember him telling me he had a car. I thought I saw a girl in the front seat once, but . . ." Syaoran let the duffle bag plop onto the floor beside a nearby car. He pulled his keys out of his pocket, and then glanced at Sakura to see her frozen in her spot. "Sakura . . ."

"Sorry, sorry," Sakura shook her thoughts away and walked towards the passenger seat. Syaoran continued to watch her, but let her pass by him. He opened his trunk and put down his duffle bag. He slammed it shut and hurried over to the driver's seat. When he sat down, he realized he hadn't opened the passenger seat door.

"Ah, sorry, Sakura," he pressed a button on his door and the lock clicked open. She opened the door and after seating herself comfortably, she pulled the door to close it. It was too light the first time, so she pushed it open again and then closed it with more force, and that seemed to do the trick.

"So . . . which supermarket?" he tapped the steering wheel in a random rhythm, obviously uncomfortable with the now awkward atmosphere.

"Just the one near here," she didn't look at him as she answered. He said nothing in reply, put the car in drive, and carefully pulled his car out of the parking space. He drove towards the exit door, pressed a button attached to his car keys to open it, and once the door had folded to move to hang parallel to the ceiling, Syaoran drove out onto the streets.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Syaoran asked. He noticed her leg fidgeting nervously and her fingers tapping her knees.

". . . nothing . . ." she muttered. He looked at her to see her shoulders rise high above the shoulders of the seat and then fall down with her exasperated sigh. Syaoran put a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Is it because I mentioned Okada?" he asked.

"No," she uttered quickly.

"So, you're nervous about me sleeping over?" he smirked. She looked down, scrambling her thoughts for a comeback, but she knew that he had figured it all out. She pouted at his arrogant remarks, and crossed her arms as she turned her body towards the window. Syaoran decided not to say anything either, and the two of them rode in silence until they reached the supermarket. Once the car was parked and the engine turned off, Sakura swfitly clicked her seatbelt open, pressed the button between them to open the door, and hastily walked out. She slammed the door loudly behind her.

"Sakura? Wait!" Syaoran fumbled with the seatbelt around him, and once that was off, he followed after her. He dashed forward to grab her arm and turned her around to stop and face him.

"Sakura," he breathed out in between his panting.

"What? Let's go," she tried to pull her arm out of his grip, but he held on.

"Are you mad?" he asked.

"No," she said, but her eyes avoided him and he noticed it.

"I know you're mad," he said.

"I'm not," she said.

"I'm here for you now. you can tell me anything . . ." he told her, but she jerked her arm away.

"I know!" she nearly shouted. "I know, but . . ."

"But what?" Syaoran stepped closer to her face.

". . . let's just . . . let's just drop this for now. Okay?" Sakura whispered, but he was close enough to hear her soft voice. He moved closer, so that her head rested on his chest and he was able to pull his arms around her. He ran his hand through her head soothingly and she snuggled into his chest.

"Sorry," her muffled statement made him chuckle. He let her go and held her face in his hands, leveling his own face in front of hers.

"No, there's nothing you need to apologize for," his grin grew even wider watching the red blood rushing into her light-colored cheeks. "Off to buy chocolate ice cream!"

"What? We're not here for ice cream, Syaoran," Sakura hit him playfully and laughed.

"Why not?" he asked, then took her hands in his and the two walked together towards the entrance of the supremarket.

"It's still winter, and it's cold. Plus, I might not have enough money for it," Sakura's pace was slightly slower, but let Syaoran pull her forward. She tilted her head to look up at him.

"I can pay for it," he shrugged.

"No! No, no, I can pay for my own groceries," Sakura pulled her hand out of his grip to shake her hands to decline his casual offer.

"But it's nothi - " Syaoran raised his shoulders again to gesture a unperturbed response, but she shook her head again.

"No! You're not paying, so don't even try," Sakura blurted out before dashing towards the entrance of the supermarket. When she reached the automatic doors, she paused for a moment and quickly slipped through the second those doors opened. Syaoran just sighed and jogged to catch up to her, going through the automatic doors just before it closed. He found her hovering over the dairy section.

"Milk?" he asked, discreetly catching his breath.

"Yep, just ran out yesterday," she said without looking at him. Her hand drifted over several cartons, and then she grabbed the handle of the one closest to her with both hands. Syaoran immediately picked it up from beneath her.

"Let me carry it," he clutched onto the handle and let it hang by his side, and Sakura made no effort in taking it from him, only giving him both a grateful and apologetic expression. She blinked a few times in thought and then slipped past Syaoran towards the nearby aisles. She paused for a moment to let him follow her, and he did.

"Cereal?" Syaoran looked curiously at the rows of cereal boxes that surrounded them. "What kind do you get?"

"Usually, Honey Nut Cheerios," Sakura said, standing on her tiptoes to grab a box of Honey Nut Cheerios above her. He watched her closely to make sure nothing would fall over her, shifting the milk to his other hand. Once her feet were flat on the ground, she looked at him. "Let me guess - you like Chocolate Rice Crispies? Cocoa Puffs? Cocoa Pebbles?"

"Oh, you know me so well," Syaoran rolled his eyes, but then he smirked and chuckled, moving the milk to his other hand again. He stepped in front of her to bend over and reach out for a cereal box. He shook them in front of her. "Cocoa Puffs."

"Syaoran, we can't get both. I might not have enough," she said seriously.

"Then, why get Honey Nut Cheerios? Isn't it too early to be worried about your cholestrol?" he joked.

"It's never too early! And I happen to like it because it tastes good," she waved her finger haughtily, but then giggled at her own actions.

"Yes, but why settle for good when you can go 'Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs'?" he held the box in front of her and raised his eyebrow to promote cereal in his hands. She giggled again to his performance, but the bit her lip to be serious again.

"I really don't have that much money on me," she mumbled.

"Don't worry, I can pay for it," he patted her head sympathetically. She swatted his hand away and almost said something in reply, but Syaoran had already begun walking away. She hugged the cereal box to her chest and stomped once in annoyance, but followed him and then walked in front of him to guide him to the next aisle.

Sakura walked past the next few aisles, and then Syaoran watched her disappear into one further down. He turned and entered the same aisle, but she startled him by suddenly emerging with a package of sugar cradled in her arms with the box of cereal. She smiled and walked out of the aisle behind him, forcing him to turn around again and walk out to follow her. He shifted the milk to his other hand, blowing his bangs out of his face in a sigh of exasperation.

"What are we getting now?" he said impatiently, stuffing the cereal box into the space between his elbow.

"Ice cream," she pointed to the glass doors in front of her, looking at the rows of buckets of ice cream behind them.

"Weren't you the one who said -" Syaoran smirked at her, but before it could turn into a complete grin, Sakura interrupted.

"I-I changed my mind. I think I have enough money for ice cream," she blushed. He chuckled at her embarrassed face, but his eyes widened in excitement as he spotted a certain flavor, but just as he reached out to grab the door handle, Sakura stepped in front of him.

"We're not getting chocolate," she said, biting her lip to keep herself from giggling at his enthusiasm for chocolate ice cream. When he looked at her in dismay, she just shrugged casually. "I like green tea better."

"Wha - Green tea ice cream? I've never heard of such a thing," he scoffed.

"Syaoran, don't be ridiculous," she said, trying to hold up the cereal and sugar in her arms.

"You're the one being ridiculous, picking green tea over chocolate," he shook his head in disapproval.

"This isn't for your house, it's for mine! I should have the privilege of choosing an ice cream flavor I enjoy," she told him.

"You don't enjoy chocolate?" he asked.

"I do, but I like green tea ice cream better," she replied.

"Why?" he asked again.

"Well, because . . . because I'm Japanese, I guess," she answered uncertainly.

"That's discrimination," he pointed out to her.

"Huh?" she stared at him with both confusion and amusement.

"You're picking it just because you're Japanese. It's unfair to the chocolate ice cream," he nodded his head as if he held a vast amount of knowledge of the world. He turned her so that she faced the chocolate ice cream. "Chocolate is for ethnicities of all kind. You should pick cultural diversity."

"Syaoran, it's just ice cream," she sighed. "Fine, forget that I'm Japanese, I like it because it just makes me feel better!"

"Insufficient reasoning," he shook his head again.

"Oh, Syaoran," she giggled, but pressed her forehead in frustration.

"So . . . chocolate?" he asked sweetly. She stared at him once before turning around and strolling down the aisle.

"Get what you want," she called out to him. He smirked and sighed in satisfaction. He kept an eye on her as she moved down the aisle, which had bread and baked goods, staying where he was to prevent walking back and forth. He saw her tightening her lips in an indecisive expression as she struggled to choose a type of bread. The loud chattering voice of a woman that was approaching Sakura from the other side averted Syaoran's attention.

". . . don't really eat cookies or muffins or anything with that many calories," the young woman said. She seemed to be no older than Sakura and Syaoran. Although this young woman was no one familiar to neither Sakura nor Syaoran, her presence suddenly filled them both with an electrocuting shock as they recognized the man beside her. Syaoran looked at Sakura hesitantly. He opened the door in front of him to hide himself before the man could recognize him.

"It's not like you'll really get fat. How many times do I have to . . ." the man said. Sakura didn't dare to turn her head to look, but she knew the voice of her ex-boyfriend all too well. She froze in her spot, knowing the Okada Hiromasa who had caused her so much grief was walking towards her with another girl beside him. Sakura kept her head bent over and stood close to the row of bread in front of her.

". . . guess bread is okay," her voice was close now. Sakura clenched her fists to conceal her shivering hands. She blinked in surprise when the woman leaned beside her face and reached out her hand over the bread to grab one. "Excuse me."

"S-sorry," Sakura answered, still trembling, but she could not help but glance at the both of them. Realizing she had accidentally revealed her face, she turned around quickly and bowed her head in embarrassment. Syaoran caught a glimpse of the scene, pretending to be preoccupied with choosing an ice cream.

"Hey," Okada Hiromasa said, and Sakura waited in fear for what was coming. He placed his hand over her shoulder and she looked up to his smug face staring down at her. "Haven't seen you in a while, Sakura."

"Who's this?" the woman asked him, but Syaoran did not wait for an answer. He grabbed an ice cream container near him, and in a swift second, he pulled Sakura away from the scene, so quickly that Sakura nearly dropped the sugar in her arms. She was ready to sigh in relief as they were just about to turn out of the aisle, but her heart dropped as his answer resonated loud in her ears.

"No one," he said. "Just some girl in my school."

Syaoran, of course, took notice of these words and stopped in his tracks. He took deep breaths to control the rage that threatened to spiral out of control. Then, Sakura embraced him from behind and his heart slowed down almost completely. His rage was replaced with sympathy and he let her remain in that position.

"Sorry, Syaoran," she said softly. "I didn't think he would be here." "Why are you apologizing?" he gently released himself from her grip to look at her directly in the face.

"I'm supposed to be over him, and . . . a-and I have you now, so . . . I don't know why I'm getting so upset, I mean I shouldn't, but -" she held the package of sugar closer and avoided his eyes. He lifted up her chin, and he saw the tears fall freely on her cheeks.

"It's not your fault," he said to her. He took the cereal box in her hands and held them both tight with his elbow, while taking the ice cream in that hand. He picked up the sugar from her hands and put it in the elbow of the other arm holding the milk. "I'll pay for this. Go wait by the car."

"But -" she sniffled, and looked up at him about to protest, but the serious eyes that stared down at her made her give in. She walked slowly towards the exit, peeking a glance a few times at Syaoran's figure as he juggled the items in his arms and waited irritatedly on line. Sakura walked out the door, but decided to stay there, looking after Syaoran through the clear automatic doors.

From the moment he put the items down, until he picked up the white plastic bags, Sakura never took her eyes away from him. When the automatic doors opened and he stepped through them, she ran to his side.

"I'll help you with this," she said and grabbed one of the plastic bags in his hands. He tried to pull away and insist on carrying them himself, but then she said, "Let me help. You paid for it, after all."

He sighed and released his grip on one of the bags. She let it fall into her hands and she clenched her fist tightly as she realized the weight of the bag; she had picked the one with the milk in it. Syaoran began walking towards the car and she marched closely beside him. After they dropped the bags into the trunk and then sat down with their seatbelts fastened, Syaoran started the car and drove out of the parking lot. Once they reached a red light on the road, Syaoran decided to speak up.

"You okay?" he said, while keeping his eyes on the traffic light above him. He heard no reply from her, so he tried once more. "Sakura, are yo -"

"I'm fine," she nearly shouted. Syaoran was startled at first, but he did not miss her sniffling and the tremble in her voice.

"Don't cry," he took a quick look at her and then moved his eyes back onto the blinking red light. Sakura maintained her composure, but she could not help but wipe the tears that stained her flushed cheeks. She reduced her sniffling to a minimum and positioned her head and body to face the window.

"I'm not," although she said it with more effort, her voice was smaller this time. She heard Syaoran sigh behind her. The green light blinked and Syaoran drove forward. It was not until the next red light that he spoke again.

"Sorry I couldn't do anything," Syaoran said, and he sighed again, leaning back on his seat.

"It's not your fault," Sakura whispered. She dabbed her cheeks a bit, wiping away more tears. "Didn't know he was gonna be there."

"Why . . . why are you crying?" his hand approached the side of her face with the intention to wipe away some of her tears, but she stopped it. He retracted his hand back. Then, he pulled out a tissue box from the back seat and set it down on her lap.

"Thanks," she said, taking two tissues from the box, folding it in half, and then pressing them down on her moist eyelids.

"You don't have to hide or anything, I mean, it's okay to just cry about it," Syaoran spat his words out quickly and awkwardly. He looked at her, but looked back up to see that the light had turned green again. He started driving again awaiting her next words. When she didn't say anything, he spoke up.

"Are you crying because of what he said?" he asked.

"Maybe," after a moment, she responded hesitantly.

"Maybe? You don't know?" Syaoran seemed confused. He sneaked a peek at her and saw her wipe her tears once more before attempting to speak. His eyes returned to the road and the cars in front of him as he waited patiently.

"I just feel really stupid," she whimpered, and tears came out again. She grabbed more tissues in her hand, but he noticed how much she was trembling, forcing her cool composure. Syaoran made an abrupt turn and parked in the parking lot of a fast food place down the block. Once the car was parked and the engine was off, he twisted his body around to face her and used both his hands to cover hers with his firm grip.

"Don't force yourself in front of me," he told her and his amber eyes swirled in sympathy as he stared at her. "Just cry."

Sakura stared at him at first, but then she leaned forward, letting the tears trickle down past even her chin, dropping onto her hands and her lap. Syaoran placed one hand on her back and one on the back of her head and pulled her towards his shoulder. She rested her forehead on his shoulder and she let out the hiccups and sniffles she had caged inside of her chest. He caressed the back of her head softly and patted her back occasionally.

". . . r-re-really lie-liked him . . . b-but he . . . h-he d-duz-doesn't ev-ven . . ." she tried her best to articulate her words, but her voice would uncontrollably tremble along with her body. Syaoran tightened his hold around her in hopes of calming her quivering, but instead, she might have released even more sobs, so he remained in that position and waited for her crying to cease. When it seemed as if she had become more calm, he loosened his hug and let her look up at him with glossy eyes that penetrated his heart.

"Are you okay now?" he asked soothingly.

"Yeah," she replied in a small voice. "Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for," he smiled, and a smile tugged at the side of her lips, but it returned to a frown in a mere second.

"I'm sorry, I thought I was over him, but back there, I remembered how much I had liked him and . . . " she didn't continue her sentence, so he took her face into his hands.

"I think it's my fault," he said, which incited shock from Sakura.

"No! How could it be?" she shook her head vigorously, brushing his forehead with her bangs.

"I'm the one who insisted that we start dating, but I never thought about how you might feel about it," he was looking at her straight in the eyes, and she could feel the heat rush into her face, and the red flow into her cheeks.

"But I wanted to start dating, too -" she started, and tried looking at him in the eyes, but he didn't let her finish.

"I know, but . . . well, I told him off for you, but I didn't really let you confront him yourself. You were probably holding a lot of sad feelings inside, and I didn't even realize it," Syaoran sighed, and his breath tickled her face. She didn't know how to respond, so she remained silent and allowed Syaoran to continue speaking.

"Next time, if you want to cry, just come to me," he placed the side of her head on his shoulder, "and you can just cry on my shoulder. If you don't let it all out, you can't really get over it - isn't that what you taught me?"

"Syaoran . . ." he smiled at her and she looked at his reassuring face in comfort, but it suddenly warped into a more aggravated expression.

"But seriously, I wanted to throw that gallon of milk at his face and then pour sugar all over his head," Syaoran said menacingly, but hearing his words made her giggle. She sat up and he looked at her in relief. "Glad you're feeling better."

"Thanks to you," she smiled at him, wiping the remains of her tears off her face. "I won't even think about him anymore."

He didn't act in response at first, and only gazed into her eyes. Slowly, his face moved in closer, but nervously, Sakura moved backward, until she felt the door beneath her shoulders. She lifted herself up, but nearly came crashing into Syaoran's face. His forehead pressed against hers and the intensity in his hazel eyes placed the rosy tint back into her cheeks.

"Can I kiss you?" he whispered, and she felt her heart pulse at a faster rate, but her senses were numb, and she hadn't even realized her eyes had already closed. Sakura only felt his lips press against hers and his breath tickle her as they kissed. Syaoran lifted her chin more and moved forward until he hovered over her head. Unexpectedly, Sakura's right hand slipped from the seat and her head hit the glass behind her.

"Ow," she rubbed the back of her head, but Syaoran sat back in his seat to stifle his obvious laughter. "Oh, so it's funny?"

"No, no," speaking let his chuckling leak out of his mouth, and she plopped down on her seat with her arms folded.

"This is what I get for letting you kiss me," she huffed, but he looked at her with a pleased smile. Her eyes met his and she looked away quickly, but he swirved in front of her and he was too fast for her to avoid as his lips landed on hers. He pulled back just as quickly, and she hit his shoulder in annoyance. "No fair."

"Let's go home," he chuckled again. Syaoran started the car again, and the two of them put on their seatbelts. Sakura sighed and let her head fall back onto the seat, closing her eyes. The rest of the ride home was quiet and Syaoran parked right outside the entrance of her house. Just as he opened his seatbelt, he realized Sakura was fast asleep.

Syaoran watched Sakura's peaceful sleeping figure and smiled. He lightly removed stray hair that fell over her face, tucking it behind the side of her face, and then keeping his hand there, stroking her cheek. He dropped his hand and leaned his head back tiredly on the seat.

"It's a good thing I picked up the green tea ice cream."


	6. Peach Bubble Tea

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 6: Peach Flavored Bubble Tea

Chapter Summary: A sudden visit from Syaoran's cousin turns Sakura's long-awaited date into an unexpected battefield.

"Isn't this supposed to be a date?" Syaoran suddenly came to a halt. His left eye almost seemed to twitch at the view before him.

"It is!" Sakura exclaimed with enthusiasm. She looped her arms around his drooping right arm, pulling the reluctant Syaoran through a small crowd of people. He let his head flip back as he sighed dramatically, but Sakura just giggled.

"Let's just go home, Sakura," Syaoran whined to his girlfriend, who, in contrast, walked forward with enthusiasm as she pulled him along.

"But we're on a date!" Sakura giggled again, and Syaoran suddenly felt her usually bubbly personality was a little annoying.

"Then, why are we at a department store?" Syaoran asked.

"Well, you said you've never been to a department store, so . . . " Syaoran didn't seem pleased with her explanation and let out another sigh that made her want to sigh, too. She shook it off and jumped back into her cheerful disposition. "I wanted to show you around. I don't know about China, but I think Japan's department stores are kinda fun!"

"Fun?" he said with disdain. Syaoran's creased forehead was telling Sakura that he was definitely not convinced. "What's so fun about it?"

"Well, we can . . ." she scrunched her lips, and unconsciously tapped her chin, as she began her brainstorming. Syaoran pinched her nose and a shrill sound came out of her mouth in shock. He smirked and then gave her a haughty look. She returned his look with a bewildered expression, rubbing her nose lightly.

"I know why you're doing this," Syaoran said.

"Huh?" Sakura replied, still confused.

"You're mad, aren't you?" he said.

"Huh? Why would I be?" she asked.

"You're mad because of what happened last ni-" Syaoran's smirk grew again, but Sakura pushed him with both hands before he finished his sentence.

"What? What? What are you talking about? Nothing happened last night!" Sakura flared up quickly and she covered her face in embarrassment, shaking it nervously. Syaoran laughed, and Sakura kicked him lightly, keeping her face covered.

"Geez, I said I was sorry," Syaoran said.

"Saying 'sorry' won't erase it from your mind, and you know it," she mumbled.

"Hey, if you had locked the door, that wouldn't have happened," he shook his head, the smirk still plastered on his face.

"I told you! The lock on the door needs to be fixed!" she released her hands and shouted at him, the blush still bright on her cheeks, which only made Syaoran laugh more.

"I must not have been paying attention," he looked away, chuckling.

"You weren't even looking at me yesterday. Even b-bef-fore the, um, incident," she blushed at the word as it brought the memory back to mind, but she resumed composedly. "you looked like you didn't even want to be there. I mean, you're the one who wanted to stay over, so if you didn't like the place, then why - " "It's not that," he interrupted her.

"Then, what?" she didn't look as if she believed him.

"Well, did you want to me to sleep with you?" he caused a new shade of red was added to Sakura's cheeks as she shook her head. Then she seemed to become preoccupied in her own thoughts. Her expression revealed a mix of embarrassment and something else Syaoran couldn't figure out. It didn't seem like a pleasant expression so he sighed and said, "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"Sorry for . . . ?" Sakura looked at him sharply, and he gulped.

"For . . . " she continued to stare at him and he gulped, suddenly feeling pressured for saying the correct answer. ". . . for not listening to you?

"Good. Okay, so what is there to do . . . ?" Sakura had only nodded at his answer, and she ignored him as he let out a laugh. Sakura twirled around to observe the area around her. People were flooding in through the front door, and walking past them towards the escalator. A young woman stood between the two escalators handing out flyers with a welcoming smile on her face. Surrounding them were several kind of fast food shops that gave Sakura an idea.

"Hey! Let's go and buy bubble tea over there," she pointed to a counter at a corner, where a man wearing a small folded hat handed a customer a large straw. Syaoran squinted to look at it, but seemed uninterested.

"If you want something to drink, I can take you to that - " he started to say, but she cut him off sharply.

"No! Um . . . " she coughed, embarrassed by her slight outburst. "No, thanks. It won't be the same."

"That's the point. It'll be better," Syaoran nodded cutely at an attempt to lure her into his grip, and he took her hand, but she pulled away and placed her hands at h er hips instead.

"Not necessarily! It'll just be more expensive. Besides, no matter what you buy, it can't beat the refreshing and sweet taste of bubble tea," she said self-assuredly to him, ready to argue and rebuff his suggestions in a split second. She looked up into his eyes and he stared back down at hers, both mentally prepared for battle.

"The fact that it's expensive means that the quality will be better, and I can afford expensive things, so what does it matter anyway? I don't know why everyone likes bubble tea so much," Syaoran said smugly. Sakura shook her head despairingly, but then, something in her mind clicked.

"Syaoran, haven't you ever had bubble tea before?" Sakura asked.

"No," he said plainly. "Why would I bother buying cheap stuff if I can afford something better?"

Just hearing those words coming out of Syaoran's mouth pulled Sakura's mouth down like an anchor, and she simply stared at him with a mixed expression of awe and incredulity. Syaoran caught on to her staring, but only raised an eyebrow at her and stared back, as if telepathically asking her to tell him what she was thinking. Sakura blinked a few times to shake off the impact of the shock that Syaoran's conceit had on her.

"I didn't think your superior attitude went this far," Sakura lips tightened and a bit of anger lit her eyes. A surprised Syaoran reacted back with the same aggravated tone in his voice.

"Superior attitude? Is that how you see me?" Syaoran stepped closer to her, straightening his posture to stand tall before her. Sakura straightened up as well, but stood rigidly to achive as much height as she could.

"If you were serious about what you just said, then, aren't you just being a little bit arrogant?" Sakura said, adding a tint of sarcasm as she plastered a fake smile.

"Arrogant? I'm just telling you it's true - I can afford more expensive things, so why not buy something better? Is there something wrong with having a little bit more money than other people?" he furrowed his eyebrows as he asked her.

"There's nothing wrong with that, but what I'm trying to -" she rolled her eyed and tried to explain her point, but he wasn't seeing it.

"Then, what's wrong with getting something better?" he continued to ask, shoving his hands in his pockets, leaning on one leg as he waited for her answer.

"That's just it! It's not always better just because it's mroe expensive!" she shouted at him.

"What are you talking about? Listen to yourself - does that even make sense?" he shook his head at her, ruffling his hair in the back of his head.

"Well, sometimes it might just be the same, or it could be worse, even though it's expensive," Sakura told him.

"So, you don't like expensive things?" he asked.

"Well, I try to avoid buying expensive things," she said.

"You're not the one buying it. I can buy it for you," he told her.

"I know you can, but wouldn't it be better to get some bubble tea once in a while, rather than always drink that expensive hot chocolate you buy?" she crossed her arms impatiently.

"What wrong with the hot chocolate I buy?" he jumped slightly at the mention of his favorite drink.

"Nothing! I just think a change would be nice," Sakura shrugged.

"But why do we have to drink something cheap?" Syaoran squinted his eyes, not understanding the message Sakura tried to express to him.

"You shouldn't look down on cheap things! Sometimes, they're even better than the expensive things you buy!" she pointed out to him.

"Yeah, right," Syaoran replied sarcastically.

"See? It's that attitude that's ticking me off!" Sakura waved her arms up exasperatedly and turned around to exhale a long, forceful breath.

"What attitude? Aren't you just getting mad for no reason?" he looked at her in confusion.

"Can't you even see that you're being arrogant?" she said to him seriously. He didn't answer her, and just sighed, avoiding her eyes. "Fine."

"Wha - where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm gonna buy you bubble tea," she said to him.

"But -" before he could say any more words, she held up her hand in a swift second, signaling him to stay quiet. He said nothing more after that, but a minute later, she felt a powerful grip pull her arm backward.

"Ow, Syao - wha -" she stumbled a few steps back, now standing behind him. Sakura watched Syaoran's expression turn pale as he looked towards the bubble tea shop, but she realized that his eyes were focused on a person. She followed his gaze and her eyes fell upon a woman with a glare that sent even Sakura shivers down her spine.

Sakura blinked once, and then a second time, before realizing that this girl looked almost identical to Syaoran's mother at a distance. As she approached her, however, Sakura could see that the pigtails of black hair bounced more animatedly compared to the the still, long flowing hair that Syaoran's mother had. Her eyes were also not as sharp and her face was much rounder, and Sakura guessed that she was somewhere close to Syaoran's age, which was only a year older than herself.

"Mei Lin . . ." Syaoran's voice quivered slightly, and Sakura's hand impulsively moved to grab onto his arm. He glanced at her apologetically, and sighed, trying to regain his composure. From Syaoran's nervous behavior towards this girl and from the peculiar similarity Sakura noticed between her and Syaoran's mother, Sakura concluded Mei Lin was none other than the cousin he had been fearing all night.

"Xiao . . . Lang!" although she had been walking quite slowly towards the couple, she suddenly jumped into a raging form, speeding at Syaoran so fast it seemed as fast as a bullet. She enveloped him in a tight hug and he toppled over from the force of the impact of her embrace.

"Mei Lin! Get off!" Syaoran hoped to avoid suffocation as he struggled to release her enveloping arms from around his neck. However, even Syaoran's sturdy muscles could not pry her off. She remained in that position, and as she straightened up to focus a glare on Sakura, she pulled Syaoran up as well, and he flailed his arms awkwardly beside her.

"Who are you?" she said, and Sakura assumed that she spoke Japanese just as fluently as Syaoran.

"Hello," Sakura bowed as an instinct that resided in her Japanese blood. She was quick to bow down and bounced back up, making her look edgy. Her posture became rigid as she tried to look at the girl glaring at her. "M-my name is Kinomoto Sakura."

"So?" she released Syaoran and he breathed out a sigh of relief for a second, wiggling his arm comfortably. Mei Lin took a few steps closer to Sakura, but Sakura stood her ground remained in her spot. Her gaze did not leave Sakura's face and there was suddenly a chill in the air.

"S-so? W-what do you m-mean?" she clenched her fists behind her back and gulped. She eyed Syaoran for help, but he seemed just as clueless about how to handle the situation as she was.

"I _mean_," she rolled her eyes, "so what if you're name is Kinomoto Sakura? What's your relationship with Syaoran?"

Mei Lin continued to look at Sakura with an icy stare that caused the sweat on the back of her neck to freeze in an instant. Sakura gulped, afraid to answer her question honestly. Syaoran stepped around Mei Lin to hook his arm around Sakura's shoulders, and cleared his throat.

"She's my girlfriend," he said, without looking into her eyes. Even without seeing her face, Syaoran knew her current facial expression wasn't a pleased one. When Mei Lin did not respond, Syaoran decided to look at her, and he saw the anger flare within her eyes.

"Girlfriend?" she scoffed, her eyes narrowed down at the both of them. "She's your girlfriend?"

Syaoran and Sakura glanced at each other, and then gulped. There was fear running through the both of them, and Syaoran held her tighter to him. Mei Lin, crossed her arms and sauntered around the couple, as if analyzing them. They stood still, awaiting her next reaction.

"Sakura, was it?" she stopped in front of Sakura to lean her face in front of her.

"Y-yes?" Sakura could not hide the quivering in her voice, and she looked at Syaoran for help, but he only returned her look with a powerless expression.

"Come with me," Mei Lin swiftly took hold of Sakura's hand, and Syaoran's arm slipped from Sakura's shoulders. His face indicated that he was opposed to having Sakura be taken away, especially by Mei Lin, but his body did not move forward, and he could only watch the girls disappear in the crowd.

Sakura kept glancing back at Syaoran, whose figure seemed to become smaller in view every time she turned to look. She allowed herself to be pulled by Mei Lin, not only because she had no measurable upper body strength to overcome her, but the pace in which this entire moment had occured spun the thoughts in her head so wildly that she had no chance to even take a moment to think.

When Mei Lin had dragged Sakura far enough away from Syaoran's view, she pulled her onto an escalator. Mei Lin dropped her arm more forcefully than necessary, which made Sakura rub her throbbing wrist, and turned around to look down at Sakura from a higher step.

"Tell me," she said, "what is it that you want?"

"Huh?" Sakura was still rubbing her wrist, not quite comprehending Mei Lin's train of thought.

"Syaoran's not here, so just drop the act," Mei Lin's tone was fierce and demanding. Sakura was nearly speechless, but she knew if she didn't say anything, it might make the whole situation worse.

"I don't . . . get what you're trying to say . . . " Sakura tilted her head, and ran her fingers down through her hair once. She heard a deep sigh from Mei Lin, and gulped again.

"Look, no matter how good you are, and even if Syaoran never realizes it, I can see right through you," she lifted a finger, pointing it at Sakura, as if a blade threatening to pierce through her. She poked Sakura lightly on the bottom of her neck, but Sakura let out a giggle.

"What's so funny?" Sakura bit her lip. Mei Lin's face was closer now.

"Just ticklish," she shook her head and said quickly, then bit her lip again. Mei Lin continued to stare at her, and Sakura felt the goosebumps rise on her skin. Rubbing her arm to calm herself, she suddenly felt the impact of a huge force throwing her onto the ground. When she came to her senses, Sakura found herself on the palms of her hands on the smooth, marble floor. Her eyes snapped up and more attentively, she raised her head to look at Mei Lin, who was smirking.

"What was that for?" Sakura remained in her position, still in shock.

"What? I just thought you needed to get off your high horse," she replied.

"Huh?" Sakura jumped back onto her feet and brushed off the dust that accumulated on the palms of her hands. After pulling down her wrinkled clothes and adjusting her bag, she faced Mei Lin again. "Listen, if you don't tell me clearly what you want, then I won't get it. I have no idea wha-"

"Don't you get it already? You're a shallow girl who just wants to be with Syaoran for his money, and I've figured it out! So, don't hide it anymore and just admit it!" although she was yelling, Mei Lin still possessed control over her anger and she flipped one of her long ponytails over her shoulder conceitedly. The words seemed to come out as coughs, and Sakura could only scoff at the absurdity that had just come out of Mei Lin's mouth.

"Wh- Huh? You thi-his wha? I'm a-I just-money? What?" her head was left hanging over on one side, and a clutter of letters randomly rolled off her tongue. Mei Lin could not wait for her to regain her articulation, so she repeated her words.

"You," she pointed at Sakura. "are after Syaoran's money."

"Wait, wait, wait," Sakura put up one hand to indicate a moment of silence, as she closed her eyes and rubbed the right side of her forehead with her other hand. Sakura breathed in, and then out.

"You think," Sakura's words were heavy with bewilderment and perplexity. "I'm going out for Syaoran because he's rich?"

"Do I have to say it again? You're a lot dumber than the ones I've met before," Mei Lin crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg as she spoke to Sakura.

"Wait a minute," Sakura said. "You're wrong. I'm not dating him because of that."

"What?" Mei Lin had raised her voice again, but Sakura replied calmly.

"I'm not dating Syaoran for his money," she said, pressing her forehead again. "Frankly, I think it's the fact that he's rich that bothers me the most right now."

"What?" Mei Lin said again. Her eyes searched Sakura up and down, left and right, but they still seemed lost by her words.

"I said, I'm not dating Syaoran for his money. Do I have to say it again?" Sakura said, almost mocking her.

"I heard what you said," Mei Lin blurted out. Her hands moved to her hips, and her eyes were still searching. "Then, why are you dating him?"

"Well . . . I like Syaoran," Sakura blushed a little, now feeling shy.

"Yeah. You like his money," Mei Lin nodded at her, and then scoffed.

"What? No," Sakura swung her arms up and shook her head. "I like Syaoran as a person. Not his money."

"What do you like about him?" she asked immediately after her response.

"Um, well . . . I like . . . his . . ." Sakura's eyes moved in several directions, searching for inspiration. Mei Lin's foot tapped rapidly, and Sakura could almost hear it, even in the midst of a noisy crowd. " . . . his . . . he . . . oh! He's very sweet."

"So? He's always sweet. He's nice to everyone. He just wants to be polite," disbelief entered Mei Lin's expression.

"Really? But, he always comes to my apartment early in the morning to pick me up when we have a date," Sakura smiled, but then pressed her lips together as she recalled a memory. "Or maybe he just doesn't like waiting for me . . . I usually came really late when we firs-"

"Okay, okay, Syaoran's nice, I know that," Mei Lin interrupts. "Whatever. But seriously, do you think a girl like you is right for Syaoran?"

"I guess not," Sakura sighed, and faced the floor in shame, which caused Mei Lin to become filled with confusion once more.

"Huh?" she yelled at her. Mei Lin squinted her eyes at Sakura, completely taken back and unable to comprehend the situation.

"Huh?" Sakura looked up, and answered back instinctively, repeating the same word, but with an expression that was nearly blank.

"Then, why are you going out with him?" Mei Lin asked.

"He's the one who asked me," she responded simply.

"You could have rejected him," Mei Lin said forcefully.

"I could have," Sakura nodded. "but I didn't."

"Why didn't you? Did you have a crush on him or something?" Mei Lin continued her interrogation.

"Actually, I had just met him at the time, and it was kind of a tough time for me," she said, facing downward again.

"What, then, he comforted you a little, and then you seduced him?" Sakura's head shot up.

"Why do you keep accusing me of these sort of things? I didn't do anything wrong," now it was Sakura's turn to yell.

"Because it's always like that!" Mei Lin shouted out, and she stepped forward, "Every girl who approaches Syaoran just wants money or fame, and they don't care about who Syaoran really is! I know who Syaoran really is! I've been with him as long as I can remember! If I don't protect him from those kinds of girls, then who will?"

Sakura was at a loss for words. Partially because she was overwhelmed at how deep Mei Lin's feelings go when it came to Syaoran, and partially because she was a little bit impressed by her act of gallantry. She was stuck between clapping and turning over in envy. She wanted to choose to clap for her, to even embrace the girl in front of her, but envy crawled into her heart first.

"Syaoran's lucky, then," she started, "to have someone like you. I didn't know you felt that strongly about him." "It should have been obvious," Mei Lin scoffed.

"I guess so," Sakura laughed sheepishly. The two of them made eye contact, and no words were exchanged for a moment. Sakura decided she needed to break the silence.

"Honestly, I don't think I'm suited to be Syaoran's girlfriend," she said, and Mei Lin raised an eyebrow, the confusion returning into her expression, but she let Sakura continued before throwing out a question.

"I'm sure the other girls you've tried to stop were much prettier, and had more self-confidence. I admit I don't really think much of myself, but," Sakura plastered on the most positive expression she could make, "I want to stay with Syaoran, and become someone he'll want by his side."

Mei Lin did not change her expression. She cleared her throat, and then put her hands on her hips again. Sakura began to think she was angry, that maybe her words weren't convincing enough, and she cringed slightly at the next words that might come to hit her.

"That's stupid," were the words that came from Mei Lin's mouth, and Sakura stared at her agape.

"You think that want to stay with Syao-" Mei Lin sighed exasperatedly, and knew she had misunderstood.

"That's not what I meant! I mean, it's stupid to be so hard on yourself!" she rolled her eyes at Sakura. "It's not like you're ugly, or anything."

"Oh . . . thanks," Sakura said.

"What, did you think you were ugly?" Mei Lin scoffed again, and shook her head. "You're pathetic. How can you 'become someone he'll want by his side' if you can't even have confidence in yourself?" ". . . well . . ." Sakura could not give her an answer.

"I'll believe you if you say that you really want to be with Syaoran, but I won't give him up to you so easily," Mei Lin said, and unknowingly, Sakura's lips stretched into a smile.

"Really?" Sakura clapped her hands together in relief.

"Don't get so excited," she turned around, to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Sakura trailed behind her. Mei Lin didn't reply to her, and another silence hung between them. They passed a few clothing stores, and Sakura could not help but steal a peek at the clothes that were set up behind the glass. Once Sakura started calculating prices in her head, with much difficulty, Mei Lin's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"You want to buy something?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, I was just looking," Sakura shook her head. Mei Lin took a look at the store to their left, which Sakura had been staring at for a while. She scanned through the clothing on the mannequins, and then crossed her arms and entered the front entrance. Sakura, still not used to her spontaneity, blinked a few times before rushing into the store behind her.

As soon she was in, her sleeve was caught by Mei Lin's iron grip, and she was pulled into the back, where Sakura could see a sign labeled "Fitting Room". After being lightly shoved into a small cubicle with a mirror behind her, she waited patiently for Mei Lin to return. Sakura sat down and wondered how this day had developed into this situation. When Mei Lin opened the door, a few outfits hung on her wrist. Sakura jumped up and stared at her with a puzzled look.

"Syaoran likes cute," she dropped the clothes beside Sakura, on the seat. "so, you made a good choice, picking out a store like this."

"Oh, it's just because these are the kinds of clothes that I can wear without looking weird," Sakura fidgeted, not touching the outfits picked out for her.

"It's kind of annoying me, that attitude," Mei Lin said.

"What attitude?" Sakura wondered if she had been offensive in any way.

"You think you're being modest by putting yourself down?" Mei Lin asked back to her.

"Um . . . no . . ." Sakura wondered what she should say.

"In terms of looks, you can be cute. I'm sure you're one of those goody-two-shoes. What makes you so sure you're not suited for Syaoran?" Mei Lin inquired. Sakura sighed, and she plopped down onto the seat behind her. She hesitated, but once Mei Lin's foot started tapping, she started talking.

"Last night . . . Syaoran stayed over my apartment," Sakura said.

"What? He slept with-" Mei Lin's voice caught the attention of the other custormers, and Sakura made a hand motion that asked her to quiet down.

"We didn't sleep together! We didn't!" Sakura said, with absolute certainty, that Mei Lin believed, since she seemed to calm down.

"Go on," she sighed to relax herself, and leaned back on the door.

"It's just, he and I have such different lifestyles . . . and about last night . . . he actually ended up sleeping in the car . . ." Sakura's voice nearly died down to a whisper, as if engulfed in shame.

"Did you kick him out?" Mei Lin was smirking, and Sakura thought for a second how similar it seemed to the way Syaoran smirked.

"No! He just decided on his own to sleep outside, even though he was the one who insisted on staying over," Sakura said.

"Well, Syaoran doesn't do just anything like that without a reason," Mei Lin looked at Sakura suspiciously. "Something must have happened."

"Oh . . ." Sakura blinked in surprise, as if only remembering now, ". . . he did open the bathroom door as I came out of the shower . . ."

"You idiot!" Mei Lin yelled, but in a hushed tone.

"I know! I should have called to get it fixed last month, but I spent my money on cake and ice cream that I just -" Sakura said frantically.

"Yeah, okay, whatever, but so, what? You live in an apartment and have a broken bathroom door? Is that what makes you so unsuitable for Syaoran?"

"Well, not only that, but . . . he probably saw everything and . . . he knows he won't be satisfied with a body like this and I'm just not good enough for him in any wa-" Sakura was stopped by a swift slap to the side of her head. She yelped in pain and rubbed the area gently to ease the pain.

"How stupid can you get?" Mei Lin looked at her in disbelief.

"Wha . . . ?" Sakura was still rubbing her head.

"He didn't leave because he wasn't satisfied with you. I can't believe Syaoran even bothered trying to stay over in the first place," Mei Lin opened the door behind her and walked out. Sakura grabbed the clothes that were beside her and hurriedly handed them to the nearest employee, bowing in politeness. She dashed after Mei Lin. She had already exited the store, and started walking towards the escalators. Sakura stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"Wait! What do you mean?" Sakura swallowed and took a second to catch her breath as she waited for a response. Mei Lin paused before she replied, making sure she explained it in a way that even a young girl could understand.

"How could a guy, who just saw his girlfriend naked, handle being in the same room, or even in the same apartment as her?" she said, but Sakura's look told Mei Lin that the message had not been conveyed.

"I'm not . . . really following . . ." Mei Lin let a out a breath and controlled the anger that bubbled up inside of her. She paced back and forth to think of the best way to get through a thick skull covered in innocence. She sighed once more, and faced Sakura with a serious look.

"Are you a virgin?" Mei Lin watched Sakura's face glow a bright red color, and she knew the answer. She followed up with a more direct question. "How much do you know about sex?"

". . . um . . . I . . . well . . ." Sakura seemed uncomfortable with the topic, and figded with her hands behind her back. Mei Lin was become impatient, so she pulled the conversation forward herself.

"Can't you tell," Mei Lin moved closer to Sakura and lowered her voice, "he'll be inclined to do more than just kissing?"

"Y-yeah," Sakura blinked.

"So, don't you get it? Syaoran," Mei Lin was reluctant in finishing her sentence, but continued, without looking at Sakura, "Syaoran probably cherishes you, and he doesn't want to make you do anything you don't want to."

"He cherishes me?" Sakura's eyes disappeared into thought as she considered the idea. Mei Lin watched her think it over.

"Why did that make you think he didn't like you?" Mei Lin wondered.

"My ex-boyfriend said that if a guy really wanted a girl, he'd just . . ." Sakura trailed off, but Mei Lin understood.

"So, because you used to go out with someone like that . . ." Mei Lin didn't continue.

"But Syaoran said so himself! That my apartment was smaller than he thought and he wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping there anyway . . ." Sakura said.

"Syaoran's not really straightforward guy," Mei Lin sighed, and for the first time, Sakura was not the cause.

"Oh . . . well, I didn't even want Syaoran to come over in the first place! I . . . honestly, I start feeling nervous . . . and when Hiro - um, my ex-boyfriend wanted to come over, I'd always come up with some excuse so that he wouldn't be able to come over," Sakura admitted, then smiled bitterly, "Maybe that's why he started looking for other girls."

"You must have gone out with a real jerk," she told her. Sakura said nothing, but her expression agreed.

"I don't really have much to offer, and I don't know much about thing like . . . sex . . . so sometimes . . . I feel a little insecure . . . even though I know I can trust Syaoran, I might think that he might want to leave me for someone else, too . . ." Sakura looked disheartened, and for some reason, this annoyed Mei Lin even more than her dim-wittedness.

"This has nothing to do with me, so, instead of telling me," Mei Lin told her, and it seemed as if she was trying to help, "why don't you try telling Syaoran?"

Sakura looked at her, and found comfort in her words, despite the sharpness that she put into her words. She nodded, and smiled. Mei Lin avoided her gaze, and then suddenly had a desire for bubble tea.

"Hey, I saw a bubble tea place downstairs. Buy me something good," Mei Lin made it seem like a command, but Sakura was willing to obey.

"You drink bubble tea?" Sakura gasped in delight, and a smile erupted on her face.

"What? Is that wrong?" Mei Lin asked.

"No! That's great!" Sakura's smile grew to a new level of brightness. "Ah, maybe if you tell Syaoran that bubble tea is good, he'll believe you. You're cousins, right? Okay, I'll be right back!"

Mei Lin watched Sakura scurry towards the escalator. She waited until she had stepped onto it, but Sakura suddenly turned around to wave back at her. Mei Lin lifted a hand and Sakura disappeared from view. Mei Lin turned around and faced Syaoran, who had been leaning against the wall on the other side.

"How much did you hear?" Mei Lin asked.

"Enough," Syaoran walked up to her and stood looking towards the direction Sakura had run off.

"You picked a really weird one this time," Mei Lin said. "I don't even want to deal with her anymore. She's like an alien to me."

"Doesn't it make her interesting?" Syaoran chuckled.

"Did you tell her you didn't like bubble tea?" she casually blurted out.

"It's not that I don't like it. You know I'm not used to those kind of drinks," he said.

"Because Aunt Ye Lan spoils you too much," she replied back, "even though you're supposed to be independent now that you've run away from home."

Syaoran didn't answer. Mei Lin only stared at him, taking in the face she hadn't seen in what seemed like ages. Syaoran let her stare, and the two stood there in silence, with understanding for the other.

"If you're going to hit me, you should just get it over with," Syaoran looked at her, his eyes unwavering and steady. Mei Lin's fists did quiver and Syaoran put his hands in his pockets, with no clear intention of avoiding the situation. Mei Lin let out a long breath, and turned around so that Syaoran could not see her face.

"Why did you leave?" she asked. Syaoran knew that question was bound to come up. He had confronted his mother about this before, so telling Mei Lin shouldn't be a problem.

"It was suffocating there," he said, walking over to the nearest wall and leaning against it. "I couldn't think clearly, with father's death hanging over me all the time. I just wanted to escape for a while."

"Are you coming back?" she asked.

"When I'm ready," he said, and he looked for a reaction, but she made sure her face was hidden from him. "You know, it was Sakura that made me want to talk to mother." "Seriously?" Mei Lin spit out in disbelief, which made Syaoran smirk, and chuckle light-heartedly. Mei Lin clicked her tongue, and might not have believed him, but said nothing to indicate that she doubted his words. "You like her so much, you'd stay over her house?"

"I wasn't thinking! I thought I could handle it, but then her bathroom door was broken, and I was a little tired that night . . . anyway, the last time you gave me a beating, I had to stay home for a month, and I can't afford to be injured now that school is starting soon," he ruffled his hair in embarrassment, and he heard Mei Lin laugh.

"That time, you fell off the balcony, remember? Haven't you been training? You're supposed to be stronger than me," she rotated her body to face him again. She smiled at him, and he noticed the strength she put into it, and returned the gesture. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you like her so much, make sure you take care of her," Mei Lin shook her head in disappoinment, "she's a hopeless case."

"Thanks," Syaoran replied, sarcastically, then stretched while letting out a long sigh. "But even I had no idea she felt that way. I might have been a little arrogant."

"Ironic, huh? It's usually the girls that I have to scold," she said, smiling, then serious again. "Don't make her so insecure."

"I know! I know," he understood. Another silence came between them.

"Syaoran?" a voice called out from a distance. The two had not even realized the time that passed as they stood together, lost in their thoughts. Sakura hurried to where they were standing, holding one cup of bubble tea in her left hand, and hugging two cups with her right arm. "When did you guys find each other?"

"Just now," Mei Lin reached out for her bubble tea, and Sakura gave her the one in her left hand. She handed Syaoran one of the cups in her arm, and he accepted it without complaint.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, but I figured, if you were like Syaoran, you'd like something sweet, so I got peach. I think it's pretty good," she carefully observed Mei Lin's reaction to the taste of the drink.

"If she doesn't like it, I'm not drinking mine," Syaoran shook the ice in his cup. When Sakura gave him a begging look, he laughed. "Just kidding."

He took a sip, and shrugged, actually liking the taste, but unwilling to give Sakura the satisfaction she was looking for. Syaoran just enjoyed teasing her.

"You like it don't you?" Sakura beamed at him, but he simply shrugged again.

"How is it?" she directed her question at Mei Lin, and she took a few sips while looking at Sakura's gleaming eyes. Her mouth curved up into a smile for a moment, but it was gone in the next second.

"So?"

"Hm. Too sweet for me."


	7. Blueberry Pie

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 7: Blueberry Pie

Chapter Summary: When Syaoran comes over a second time, the two of them share a night of confessions.

"Overreacting? I was overreacting?" Syaoran said incredulously, following behind Sakura as she walked up the staircase.

"She wasn't that bad, Syaoran," Sakura rolled her eyes, reached the top of the staircase, and turned around to wait for Syaoran to follow her. He stopped, and smacked his chest, right above his heart, and gasped.

"Am I hearing things? A sane human being is telling me Mei Lin isn't so bad," he gasped out, feigning shock and distress. Sakura scrunched her eyebrows as she looked at him, stifling her laughter, and he released his expression and laughed.

"The way she handles situations is a little . . . aggressive, but in the end, I think she has good intentions," she said, choosing her words carefully.

"Sakura, the ends do not always justify the means," he countered her reasoning. She turned her head down to look at him, as he landed on the step just before her. He grinned smugly as she quickly considered an appropriate response.

"You just said that to sound cool," Sakura giggled as she took a step back, and he took his place beside her as they walked down the hallway.

"No, really, I meant it," Syaoran said, chuckling. Sakura was still giggling, reaching into the front pocket of her bag to feel for her keys. When she didn't find them, she reached into another pocket, but was caught by surprise as Syaoran enveloped her from behind and whispered in her ear.

"If my intentions are good, would you let me . . ." His warm breath wandered over the base of her neck, while one of his hands slipped around her thigh, slowly lifting the hem of her skirt. She gave a squeal and he felt her stiffen her body, which made him chuckle. He released his arms and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"S-syaor-ran!" she attempted to slap him with her bag, but the sudden rise in her heart rate muddled her senses into a state of disarray and she only hit thin air. The high amount of heat that drained into her face revealed itself as a blush, which made Syaoran laugh even harder.

"Not funny!" she squeaked as he held his stomach, laughing. She snatched the keys from inside the pocket of her bag, and quickly pushed it into the keyhole to open the door. "Laugh about it in the hallway by yourself!"

"Sakura, wai-" he coughed, clearing his throat, and suddenly taken back by her angry outburst. He reached out to grab her arm, only to miss it by a second and have the door slam in his face. At first, he knocked the door, calling after her, but when she didn't answer, he decided to turn around and slowly walk away from the door. He stopped for a second to check for any movement, but then continued his calculated departure.

". . . Syaoran?" a small voice spoke through the door, and Syaoran smirked in his victory over Sakura's willpower. He took a few steps backward and leaned on the wall beside the door, expecting the door to open. He waited patiently, careful not to make even the slightest sound, and making sure he stood at a blind spot.

"Excuse me?" a resonant voice shocked Syaoran out of his amusement. He jolted in surprise and collided with the wall behind him.

"H-huh? Oh - I - uh - um . . . hello?" he coughed his words out and straightened himself up to look at the tall young woman that stood in front of him. She observed him with a smile before plodding towards the front of Sakura's door. She stopped again to stare at him.

"What is your relationship with Kinomoto-san?" the woman inquired. Her eyes held a mysterious charm and she smiled widely, but there was a glint in her eyes that told him she was also suspicious of him.

"Oh, well, I'm her boyfriend, and well," Syaoran let out a shrill laugh, but then cleared his voice again, "I - uh - I'm here to see her."

She seemed indifferent to his presence as she knocked the door. Syaoran just sighed and tussled his hair restlessly. She caught a glance of him again, still smiling, but he could only smile back nervously. When the door creaked open, Syaoran sighed again, in relief and met with Sakura's eyes, looking for help.

"This young man claims to be your lover, Sakura-san," the woman said to Sakura, who could only blink perplexedly at the strange pair that had met in front of her door. She nodded distractedly at the woman.

"Yes, he is, sorry if he bothered you . . . Syaoran, this is the landlady, Mizuki Kaho," Syaoran bowed politely and the young woman bowed her head in response.

"Syaoran Li," he introduced himself nervously, and Sakura smirked slightly at his flustered state.

"Kaho-san, what brings you here so late at night?" Sakura opened the door wider, and stepped forward. The woman brought her hands out from behind her back to reveal a rectangular paper bag, hung on yellow yarn that she gripped in one hand. She extended that hand to present it to Sakura, who accepted the box gratefully with both hands.

"Is this . . . blueberry pie?" Sakura looked curiously into the paper bag to see a familiar box.

"Yes, I made an extra pie for my daughter, but it appears she is staying at a friend's house for the rest of the break," she said, rolling her eyes, but there was a smile on her face as her daughter came to mind. "If I remember correctly, you told me you liked it when I treated you to a slice last time. I thought I might as well give you this one, since I won't be able to eat another whole one myself."

"Oh, well, yes, I did like it - loved it, actually - and um, that's, well, thank you," Sakura smiled fretfully, seemingly affected by her mysterious charm the same way Syaoran was.

"On the contrary, you will be helping me by eating this pie," her smile returned and for a moment, widened as her eyes fell on Syaoran's dawdling form nearby. "Good night, Sakura. Make sure to lock your doors,"

"Thank you very much," Sakura gave one more respectful bow as she walked away. Syaoran also bowed slightly, still smiling awkwardly. When she reached the staircase, he blew out a breath he had been keeping inside, and Sakura giggled at him. He looked at her clinging frantically onto her door so that it remained open for him. He quickly peeked at the staircase to make sure the young woman had left before speaking.

"Did you see," he turned his head to look again, "how she was looking at me?"

"Syaoran," Sakura scoffed at him, half-laughing as she entered her apartment, "don't speak badly about her. She might seem a little mysterious, but she treats me really well."

"Well, she was totally making fun of me," he continued, as if ignoring her, and followed her, closing the door behind him as he stepped inside, "she was laughing at me, on the inside, I just know it! Like, she just caught a criminal red-handed. I mean, who knows how long she was standing there!"

"Well, she probably thought you were a stalker," Sakura said, walking towards the kitchen table as she pulled the box of blueberry pie out of its bag, "standing beside my door, waiting for me to come out so you could - "

"Don't even say it! Sakura, how could you possibly accuse me of such atrocious behavior?" Syaoran ruffled his hair again, and Sakura giggled at his seriousness towards the conversation.

"You were the one who was suspiciously standing outside my door," she pointed at him.

"Because you locked me out!" he huffed stubbornly.

"Well . . . I thought you left! You stopped knocking all of a sudden! I was going to open the door eventually," she bit her lip, but there was a hint of guilt in her voice.

"Fine, fine, it's my fault," he fell back onto Sakura's couch, dangling his legs over the armrest, and sighed melodramatically, "and you're right. She probably thinks I'm a stalker. I might never be welcome here."

"Would the stalker like some blueberry pie?" Sakura asked, giggling. She opened the box and slowly moved the glass platter of pie onto the kitchen counter.

"Yes, please," he sat up and marched over to her side, happily awaiting his slice. She gave him an empty plate and set one in front of her for herself. Then, she reached over to grab a knife and cut into the warm blueberry pie. "Hey, does Kaho-san live alone?"

"Sometimes. Her daughter usually lives with her, but she's divorced, so once in a while, she lives with her father," Sakura slid the knife underneath her slice to pick it up out of it's platter, and drop it onto her plate. She licked the blueberry jam off her thumb, and placed the knife on the counter, "and I think her daughter goes to our school."

"Seriously?" Syaoran pulled out the drawer behind him to take out two forks. He flipped one over to stab into Sakura's slice of pie, but she picked it up and swerved away, taking the fork from his other hand.

"Get your own slice," she giggled playfully, eagerly cutting a piece to lift to her mouth. She sighed blissfully as she let the taste melt into her taste buds. Syaoran put down his fork, raising a slightly annoyed but slightly amused eyebrow as he leaned towards her. She slanted away from him, but he was too quick; he lunged down to capture her mouth in his.

"Mmph!" Syaoran held her hands in place as he overpowered her, and she could only give in to his ravenous kiss. It wasn't how she usually enjoyed her blueberry pie, but she couldn't deny that she also liked this way of eating it. When the sweet taste began to fade, he released her, and licked the messy leftover jam off her lips.

"Syaoran!" she shouted, shrinking back to avoid his mouth diving into hers again, "this is becoming a very bad habit!"

"What?" he chuckled, moving forward to provoke her.

"Eating things from my mouth! Just . . ." she pushed him away with her elbow and turned her head, taking a small bite of her pie, "take a bite yourself."

"You know, Sakura, when you eat something, you make it look really good," he leaned forward, caressing her lips, "and I just can't help but take it directly from these lips."

"Th-that doesn't give you an excuse," Sakura blushed, and Syaoran licked his smirking lips as he took the knife from the table to cut out his own piece.

"It's revenge for giving me a reputation of being a stalker," he smirked. Once he placed a slice on his plate, he grabbed a fork and took a large mouthful. Sakura snorted at his swelling cheeks, but took another bite of her own pie.

"Don't worry, I was just kidding. Kaho-san is a very understanding person," she said, but Syaoran just nodded in response, swallowing, and being too engrossed with stuffing his cheeks. Licking blueberry off her lips, Sakura asked, "It's good, right?"

"Mm-hm," was the only thing he said, and Sakura giggled. The two chewed on their warm pies with light-hearted laughter bubbling inside of them. Syaoran tried to say something, but his overstuffed mouth only allowed an incomprehensible mumble to escape his mouth, and Sakura let out a loud laugh.

"Chew your food," she said, and wiped a blue stain from the side of his lips, "and then talk."

"This is good pie," he swallowed the rest of the pie in his mouth. Sakura idly watched as he leisurely took another bite and Syaoran noticed her peculiar stare. He continued eating, waiting for her to bring it up herself, but when she remained silent, he spoke up. "What's wrong?"

"Oh," she blinked as if disturbed from her thoughts, but still seemed aware of his concern. "I was just thinking about what happened today."

"What? About Mei Lin?" he put down his spoon to listen attentively, only chewing on what remained in his mouth.

"No, not really . . . well, maybe some of what she said, but," she sighed, and then put an noticeably forced smile on her face, "it's nothing."

"I don't know if you've noticed," he said, using his hands to pick up a whole blueberry from his plate and throw it into his mouth, "but you're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying. It's really nothing serious," she pressed her lips together, giving up her attempt at a smile.

"Sakura," he pushed aside his plate completely and stepped around the table to stand beside her. He leaned his face towards her, seeing the blush that indicated he had made her nervous just as he had intended. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"Y-y-you're too close," she moved back slightly, but he moved in even closer, still giving her his stern look. She sighed in defeat and said, "it's about . . . that talk we had at the mall."

"Talk?" he sprung back, straightening his back, and looked at her, puzzled.

"You know, when we were talking about bubble tea, and then you said you wanted something more expensive," she said nervously, coiling her fingers together.

"Ah, that conversation," Syaoran nodded, repositioning himself in front of his plate. "What about it?"

"Well, it might not seem like a significant conversation to you, but it was sort of a serious fight to me," Sakura bit her lip again, which was a sign that her distress over the issue was not minor.

"What? That was just a small disagreement about what we wanted to drink," he scoffed, cutting out a piece of his pie. "How is that a serious fight?"

"It might not have been serious then, but what if does get serious?" Sakura said. The anxious green eyes that allured him on the first day they met were staring right at him. "What if, one day, we start to think that our differences are too much for us to handle?"

"Our differences? What, like, are you talking about my status, Sakura?" he put down his food and let his arms put pressure onto the kitchen counter to vent out anger that could escape through his words. "Are you saying, just because I was raised in a high-class society, I might leave you?"

"Well, see? You think you're the only one who can decide to leave me? What if I decide to leave you? Just because I wasn't born into some high-class society, does that mean I don't have the choice of leaving you?" she countered.

"That's not what I was - " he did not have the chance to completely express himself because she was rambling on, captured by her own insecurities.

"You're looking down on me, Syaoran," she pulled her hair back with both hands, "like, one day, you'll realize, I'm not good enough for you."

"Not good enough? I've never said that!" he tousled his hair and rolled his eyes at her. "I will never think that way."

"How do you know? You're used to shopping at brand-name stores and dining at fancy restaurants," she waved her arms theatrically and then gestured towards herself, "why would you settle for a department store and blueberry pie?"

Syaoran didn't seem taken back by her question, almost as if he had been expecting it. Although her eyes already glistened in a disappointment that had been triggered by her own lack of confidence, Sakura folded her arms across her chest, and waited eagerly in anticipation of his answer. She heard him sigh once more and then watched him reach out his hands to place on the sides of her arms.

"Look, I . . . I'm, well . . ." he sighed again and took out both her hands to place them in front of him, "to be honest, I don't really like trying new things."

"I thought you were going to tell me something I didn't know," Sakura's words were sharp, but from her wavering tone, he knew she was having difficulty being brutal. He took a deep breath and tried again.

"Just listen," he took a half-step backward, took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said at the department store, but if it's with you, I don't really mind going to those kind of places. I'll come willingly next time, okay?"

"A simply apology won't fix everything," she squinted her eyes in displeasure.

"Why are you so worried about this?" he asked, but she looked away. He thought back to the conversation he had overhead between her and Mei Lin. "Is it . . . because of what happened yesterday?"

"No," she whispered, but her eyes were still avoiding him.

"It is, isn't it?" he asked again. He didn't wait for an answer this time, and instead, scrambled his head for the right words. "That wasn't your fault. It was just me being a guy. I just didn't want anything to happen."

She looked more confused now, but she was still not pleased with his answer. He racked his brain again for something more to say, something good to say, but she spoke up before he hit inspiration.

"Why don't you want anything to happen?" she asked.

"Wha - wh - why? You mean, you . . . want something to happen?" Syaoran stumbled over this question, and he didn't know quite how to answer. He was more taken back at the fact that Sakura herself had initiated this question. When he calmed himself, however, the thoughts that answered this question collected in his head. He was considering how to convey these thoughts when Sakura spoke again.

"It's not that . . ." Sakura shook her head.

"Then, what did you mean by that?" Syaoran asked.

"I never told you this before, but," she seemed hesitant, but her voice was solid and ready, "the reason I didn't want you to come over here was because when I was with Hiromasa-kun, there was a time when he . . . wanted to . . . well, you know . . . sleep with me."

It seemed as if there was more to the story, so Syaoran clenched his fists tight on the table and forced his words down his throat to remain silent and listen to her entire story. He was used to being the listener in this relationship, so he pushed his thoughts aside for a moment to wait his turn. He watched her fidget a little before she continued and understood she was uncomfortable.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he told her.

"I think I do," she said. "I know you think I'm being unreasonable and getting mad for no reason, but if I tell you the truth, we might be able to understand each other better."

"No, I guess . . . you had a right to be angry, with the way I acted earlier," he said, but when he saw her eyes glossed over with reminiscence, he motioned for her to continue. "If you're willing to tell me, I'll listen."

"Well . . . when he . . . wanted to do that, I didn't feel ready for that yet," Sakura started again, "so that's what I told him, and . . . when he still tried to . . . I kind of pushed him away . . . and kicked him out."

"Wise decision," Syaoran nodded in relief.

"I saw him the next morning and he told me," Sakura turned her gaze towards the ceiling to prevent any of her tears from falling out, "that if I . . . really loved him, I would've let him do it, so I didn't . . . really love him."

"That's just bul -" Syaoran stopped himself, and chose not to say what he felt like saying. He walked over to her and embraced her to give her comfort. "It's still a mystery to me that you can be affected by a guy like that. He was a jerk. That should make it easy to get over him."

"I know. I'm an idiot," she muffled into his shoulder. "Sorry you have to deal with an idiot like me."

"I would usually say otherwise, but I can't deny that right now," Syaoran felt a blow to his chest, but chuckled and put his hand over her head as she began to shudder slightly in his hold. "You know, Sakura, since I started dating you, I've never had a day where you haven't amazed me."

"Hm?" she asked, momentarily distracted from her crying.

"You can always say what you need to say, express yourself," he said. "I just can't seem to bring myself to say the things I want to say. Even when I try, the right words never come out."

"That's," she pulled back a bit, "that's okay. Everyone has things they can't tell others."

"Yeah, but," he pulled her back into his embrace, "you're my girlfriend, and if we do get serious in the future, I should be able to tell you everything."

"Then," she moved out of his arms and wiped her damp cheeks with her wrists, "why don't we just sit down and talk?"

". . . can we finish our pie first?" that placed the smile back on Sakura's face and the couple laughed as they picked up their forks to eat the remaining pieces of pie on their plates.

They ate up their pie quietly, and although it they both tried to hide their impatience, it was clear by the quick rate they were eating that both of them were eager to listen to the confessions of the other. When they were both done, and their plates were stacked in the sink, they walked to the little couch at the front of Sakura's apartment and sat on either end.

"So . . ." Sakura rolled her eyes around, as if the words she wanted to say could be caught in the air.

"So . . ." Syaoran replied just as timidly.

"Hey, you were the one who said you were keeping things from me," Sakura scoffed at him, but as she turned her head, he saw the smirk that lifted on her face.

"I didn't say I was keeping things from you!" he kicked her leg slightly, and she yelped, keeping her mischievous grin hidden. "I just said that I wasn't good at . . . expressing myself."

"About what?" she stared at Syaoran's blushing face.

". . . I don't really know where to start," he managed to cough out.

"Ah, that's just another excuse not to say it!" Sakura let her smile spread and giggled, but Syaoran's expression only darkened. She sighed, realizing the mood was not appropriate for laughs, and asked, "Why were you ignoring me that night?"

"I . . . I can tell that you're still a virgin," he said, which ignited an angry spark in Sakura, but before she could act in response, he held her shoulders down gently. "I didn't want to make you do anything you weren't ready for."

"But why did you have to leave?" she scrunched her nose in confusion and Syaoran dropped his head in defeat.

"Mei Lin warned me about this," he sighed, letting his arms drop from her shoulders. "You really don't understand?"

"Understand what . . . ?" she raised an eyebrow, not moving her perplexed eyes from his face.

"I was afraid I wouldn't be able to control myself. I don't know what you were thinking, but," his face revealed every bit of his tension, but his words were steady and unwavering. Then, he scoffed to himself. "I thought that for someone like you, something like that would be a serious step forward, and in your case, it's probably an entire leap."

". . . I guess I wasn't really thinking straight . . ." Sakura bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Syaoran said, "because of this, you were feeling insecure, right? After what happened with Okada."

"No, that's not your fault," Sakura buried her guilty face over her raised knees with her arms hugged around her head.

"It is," he placed an hand over her head, but it shot up suddenly to look up at him.

"I said a lot of terrible things, and even though I was insecure, it doesn't justify any of it," her tears were on the verge of spilling over, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you have to deal with such a brainless girlfriend."

"Stop apologizing. You have a brain," he put his hand over her head again, almost as if he was petting her. "You just have to use it more often."

"That's not making me feel better," she chuckled, but then quickly pouted and Syaoran laughed, ruffling her hair. "But at least, we finally cleared up that misunderstanding."

"Yeah. Good to get that off our shoulders," Syaoran sighed, but then laughed bitterly. "It seems like we keep having the same conversation about you and your ignorance towards guys."

"Come to think of it, I've never heard about any of your previous experience with girls." Sakura said boldly.

"Why don't we leave this for another conversation," he glided across the couch to sit right farther away.

"No," she glided right back to his side, "why don't you tell me now?"

"What exactly do you want to know?" he asked, still uninterested in the topic.

"Well, I don't know, like . . . do you usually pick up vulnerable girls sitting alone at the park?" she said, in a humorous tone that Syaoran understood.

"You make it sound like I took advantage of you," Syaoran finally gave his attention to her.

"I think the situation speaks for itself," she giggled, "although, on a serious note, I don't really get why we're together."

"Huh?" Syaoran reacted, with a tone that seemed annoyed.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way, it's just," she found his eyes focused on hers and she was pressured to continue, "it doesn't seem like I'm the type of girl you might go for."

"What type of girl would I go for?" he raised his eyebrow and smirked, turning the conversation into his own amusement.

"I don't know, I just - oh, stop looking at me like that!" she feigned anger, but it only made Syaoran's smirk grow,which earned him a nudge in the ribs, which made him retreat. "Okay, then, am I? The type you usually go for?"

". . . it would be a lie if I said yes," he muttered.

"Meaning I'm not your type, right?" Sakura looked triumphant, but at the same time, dissatisfied by his honest answer.

"It has nothing to do with what my type is," Syaoran said, and he sat up, taking in a breath, as if preparing himself for an entire speech.

"What do you mean?" Sakura didn't expect him to extend the conversation, but she listened closely in hopes of a better answer. When he remained still, attempting to avert his eyes, she pulled on his sleeves and pleaded with glossy eyes. "Continue what you were going to say."

"Fine," he sighed, and took another deep breath, "That day we met, when you were sitting there, telling me, a complete stranger, about your ex-boyfriend, I can't explain it, but I just felt something,"

"Felt something? What kind of something?"

"I don't know! Maybe I was mad, or maybe I just pitied you, or whatever, but there was something," he ruffled his hair, as he usually did at a time of uncertainty.

"I get why you would pity me, because I would pity me, too, but," Sakura tilted her head inquiringly, "why would you get mad?"

"Well, once you started blaming yourself, I just couldn't help it!" he rolled his eyes. "I mean, crying over such a jerk. I didn't want you to start thinking that all guys are jerks like him."

"Wow, all of this was going through your head?" Sakura said, surprised. "To think I was so busy being depressed over Hiromasa-kun."

"You were the one who started everything that day," Syaoran pointed out.

"I was upset and wasn't thinking, okay?" Sakura defended. "Wait, but you were the one who invited me for hot chocolate."

"That's because I couldn't just leave you there! You probably would've sat there for another hour," he scoffed.

"Fine, then . . . why did you kiss me?"

"It's not like I planned it! I kind of acted on impulse, and now that I think back, it was an incredibly reckless decision," he tousled his hair and then, covered his face with his hand over his bangs. "Now that I think about it, that's probably what a pervert would do."

"Hey, if you really were a pervert, then what does that make me?" Sakura's eyes widened in realization and turned slowly to meet Syaoran's, and staring at him, she said, "I'm the one who followed you willingly."

"You," Syaoran flicked Sakura across the forehead as punishment, "need to use your brain more. What upsets me is that I can't even deny what you just said."

"You didn't have to do hit me so hard!" as she rubbed her forehead vigorously, she began to laugh, triggering his laugh as well. Then, the two of them sighed and breathed out to cease their laughing, returning to their serious disposition.

"To tell you the truth, I kissed you because I didn't exactly know how I felt about you," Syaoran admitted.

"Huh?"

"I knew I felt strongly towards you, but I didn't exactly know what it was, and it kind of frustrated me, so . . ." he chuckled nervously.

"So, you kissed me?" she continued for him.

"You didn't like it?" he moved his face closer. She felt his breath close to her and she nearly held her breath, listening closely to his answer. Her eyes instantly fell as he closed the distance between them.

A thunderous knock on the door, jerked the couple apart. Sakura blushed from the shock, while Syaoran acted casual, coughing the embarrassment away. Sakura stood up to walk towards the door, but she immediately froze when she recognized the voice outside the door.

"Sakura. Open up. Sakura!" the voice demanded. Sakura stood still, racing through her mind for a solution, until Syaoran tapped her shoulder, which set her off in a state of panic.

"Syaoran, hide!" she grabbed his hand with both hands, heaving him towards her bedroom.

"What, why?" Syaoran pulled back, completely baffled.

"My brother doesn't know you're here!"


	8. Cafe Au Lait

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 8: Café Au Lait

Chapter Summary: When Sakura's brother drops for a visit, Syaoran tries to avoid becoming an enemy.

"Sakura!" three more pounds at the door warned Sakura of the impending danger, and Sakura twisted hurriedly from one direction to another, inflicting pain on the arm she had tightly held in her grip.

"Sakura, calm down," Syaoran easily broke free of her grip to pull her arms down with his own. He attempted to slow down her panicked pacing around the room, and he succeeded when she finally stopped to look at his face. Syaoran released her arms and Sakura's heart beat started to return to its regular rhythm.

"Sakura, open the door!" again, there were three pounds coming from the door, louder this time, as Touya grew impatient.

"What do we do?" she mouthed to Syaoran, afraid to allow the slightest noise reach the other side of the door. Syaoran took a moment to think, and Sakura could only stare helplessly, when suddenly, another voice reached her ears.

"I brought the keys," the familiar voice was instantly recognized in Sakura's mind.

"Thanks, Yukito. That monster must be asleep already," Touya chuckled, and Sakura imagined the keys rattling as it came closer to revealing her worst nightmare. Syaoran pulled on both her arms to wake her from the shock.

"How about the window?" Syaoran whispered, arms gesturing towards the open curtains at the end of the room.

"Are you crazy?" she mouthed back in reply as her eyebrows and jaw dropped simultaneously, "We wouldn't even have time to-"

"Sakura, Otou-san* collapsed, and he's at the hosp-" his muffled voice now resonated across the room as the door flew open, and the frenzied couple appeared before him. The tension itself foreshadowed the storm about to strike the second Touya's eyes spotted a man standing in the middle of her living room.

"Who is this?" Touya stepped towards him with a glare that gave him reason to jump right of the window, but Sakura had other concerns.

"Collapsed? What happened? Why didn't you call me?" Sakura's voice reached a new octave of panic, but Touya's eyes did not leave his target. Sakura took a moment to sigh in frustration before yelling, "Touya!"

"Tell me who this is, Sakura, or we won't be going anywhere," he stood his ground. Realizing his obstinate personality would not allow a proper conversation while was Syaoran around, she hurried towards the front of the living room to grab her bag.

"Let's just go to the hospital. I'll explain on the way," she brushed off the anticipated lecture to grab her coat and other necessities for an immediate departure.

"Are you dating him?" the word dating seemed to roll off of Touya's tongue like bitter poison, but Sakura only replied again, even more nonchalantly, "Yeah."

"Li Syaoran," he bowed to him, remembering the manners of Japanese culture. "Nice to me-"

"How long has this been going on?" Touya actively ignored him, and chose to focus on Sakura's reply, but she was already slipping into her shoes, rushing to leave.

"Can we please focus on the more pressing matter here?" she pleaded, pushing Touya lightly towards the door, "Otou-san's condition is more important right now. Let's just go."

"I'll get the car ready, then," Yukito's amused smile goes unnoticed on his way out the door.

"She's right, we shou-" Syaoran walked to his own shoes to put them on.

"It's got nothin' to do with you," Touya snapped at him, earning a slap on the arm from Sakura. When he fixed his glare at her, she only scoffed and began pushing him out the door.

"Not now, Touya," she nearly growled, "Let's get to the hospital."

"Sakura, I need to know why you've been keeping this from me," even as his feet were forced to step outside the apartment, his words continues to pour out of his mouth. "How long have you even known him? You're already giving him permission to take advantage of you in your own apartm-"

"Stop it! Stop talking," she pushed him far out into the hallway to allow Syaoran out the door as well, making sure she stood between them. She locked the door and crossed her arms to give them both a scolding look, but then concentrated her stare at Touya. "If you don't go right now, I'll jump out that window and just have Syaoran drive me to the hospital."

"Over my dead body," after crossly examining both Sakura and Syaoran, he agreed and stomped away towards the staircase, deliberately taking smaller steps and sneaking obvious glances over his shoulder. When he was no longer at a distance possible for a sudden assault on Syaoran, Sakura turned to apologize.

"Sorry. I forgot to mention my brother is extremely overprotective," Sakura explained with an emphasis on the "extremely" and sighed again. To her surprise, but also to her utmost delight, Syaoran responded by chuckling lightheartedly.

"I'm relieved you have a brother like that," he said, and as his lips moved towards hers, an angry voice shouted out.

"Sakura! You better not be doing what I think you're doing!" Syaoran chuckled as he settled for her cheek.

"I'll be right behind you," he said, and Sakura nodded, leaving him to join her aggravated brother down the hall.

When Syaoran could no longer see their figure at the staircase, he began walking, keeping his ears open for their footsteps to stay on their trail. In only a few minutes, Sakura and Touya had walked out of the apartment building and reached his car at the end of the block. Syaoran's car had been closer, so he sat comfortably, waiting for Touya to pull out before following stealthily from behind.

The back seat was silent for a moment as Sakura and Touya only glared at one another with frustrated, narrowed eyes and Yukito did not dare disturb the telepathic clash between the siblings and enjoyed what he could from the front view mirror.

"Seems like some spoiled rich boy," Touya scoffed.

"You've never even spoken to him," Sakura grumbled back at him.

"It wouldn't make me like him," he crossed his arms, "probably'd just make me want to beat him up even more."

"Touya!" she nudged his arm with the side of her fist.

"I don't trust him, or you, for that matter, because based on your previous relationships," he continued his rant with his conviction intact, "you probably didn't think this one through, either."

"As a matter of fact, I have thought it through, and I like him," she crossed her arms and forcefully falling back on her seat, pressing her lips together in a pout.

"Well, he's probably no different from that other guy tha-"

"He's not!" she stated firmly, and then said with less conviction, more towards herself, "Syaoran's different."

Touya could not help looking uncertainly at her. Not only did her usual pouting expression lack a certain charm, it was still as ineffective to him as it had always been. He could see right through the smallest doubt; her face was, fortunately for him, always easy to read.

"You sure about that?" Touya asked. He looked over to see her reaction, and Sakura straightened up, as if preparing to explain herself, but her face dropped as the red tint in her cheeks suddenly intensified. Touya raised his eyebrow to claim his triumph, but Sakura shook her head vigorously. "Then, why don't you explain to me how he's different?"

"No way," she replied, and her cheeks grew even hotter.

"Don't tell me you guys have already-" his raised tone surprised her, and her embarrassment made her yell back at him.

"We haven't done anything!" she slapped her hand over her face, overcome by the continuous heat to her cheeks.

"How can you be so naive, Sakura?" he was almost yelling now, "I told you, guys only wan-"

"Why do you keep attacking me with that same reasoning? I told you, Syaoran's not like that!" she gave him another blow on the arm.

"Then, what's he doing at your place this late at night?" Touya asked, and this question froze Sakura to her seat, causing the anger to boil even hotter inside of him. She had nothing to reply with, but before he made any more comments, the large building that Sakura recognized as the local hospital became visible.

Sakura did not wait another second to open the door and close it carelessly behind her. She bit her lip in embarrassment when it did not close all the way and she thought for a second Touya would jump out when opened it to close it again properly. She stuck her tongue out through the window and briskly turned to walk away. Touya sighed and shook his head despairingly. "She's still a brat, too."

Sakura was at the reception desk, tapping her foot nervously as she waited for the woman sitting in front of her to tell her the number of her father's room. She pressed her lips together, half in irritation her brother had provoked and half in anxiety, being unaware of Syaoran's current location.

"Room 329, 3th floor," the woman said flatly, and Sakura quickly thanked her. She whirled around, intending to dash towards the elevators, but she screeched to a stop when a familiar figure came into view.

"Syaoran!" she gasped.

"Sakura," he smiled at her, and she couldn't help but embrace him with relief. She smothered her cheek into his jacket to release a long sigh, and he asked with a light laugh, "What, did he keep you in chains or something?"

"Yes," she nodded once into his chest and he warmly returned the embrace.

"Where's your brother?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter, I know what room my dad is in," she jerked back out of his arms and quickly pulled him by both his arms, briefly scanning the area, "Let's hurry and get there before he gets does."

"Wait," he froze in his tracks, "is this really a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" she looked puzzled, but still alert.

"I mean, should I be," his eyes darted around timidly, "meeting your father?"

"What, why not?" she asked, "I've met your mother."

"Yes, but that was ..." Syaoran pursed his lips trying not to fall into some convenient excuse. Sakura did not have time for his contemplating.

"Don't worry," she placed her hands firmly on his shoulders, "my dad won't overreact like Touya did. I think he'd be happy to meet you. Now, let's go take the stairs, it's only the 3rd floor."

When Sakura sprinted towards the door, Syaoran matched her sprinting speed easily, and attempted to allow her soothing words comfort him, but after his encounter with Touya, too much apprehension had built up inside. He could not help but fearfully await his evaluation as an incompetent boyfriend. Somewhere within the chaos of his thoughts, he hoped he had good qualities to offer, but none of them seemed to come to mind.

"Over here," Sakura called out to him as she reached for the door, and he stood stiffly behind her as she opened it, "Otou-san!"

"Sakura,"

"Otou-san," she flew across the room to give her father a heavy embrace, which seemed to be more of a hovered over his shoulders and a light tap on his back. Syaoran closed the door behind him, watching the setting change into a poignant family reunion. Sakura pulled the chair beneath her and while examining every part of her father's body she began her reel of inquiries, "What happened? Is everything okay? Why are you in the hospital?"

"Touya must have exaggerated, I'm fine," he held his hand to the side of her face and smiled reassuringly. "The doctor said I was just working myself too hard."

"Well, I'm glad it's nothing serious, but that's not good either," Sakura took his hand into her own. "What exactly happened, though?"

"You don't have to worry," he avoided the explanation, but Sakura was stubborn and both men watching her knew that. Her father sighed, but with his best forced smile he said, "If you really must know, Sakura, I'm not that young anymore. I just overworked a bit and threw out my back, that's all."

"That's all? You just overworked a bit? You're in the hospital!" she cried out.

"It wasn't so severe when it happened, of course, I took care of it then, but somehow the pain went to my knees and that was worrying the other workers," his smile was still bright on his face, but a flicker of guilt passed his eyes and Sakura only worried about him more, and worry would come with scolding.

"But you could've …" Sakura began to rant about better ways he could have taken care of his body, but Fujitaka understood that behind her scolding was love towards her father, and chuckled in response.

"Instead of worrying so much, why don't you introduce me to this young man, who has been waiting here so patiently?" he faced Syaoran with an intrigued, and welcoming expression, and Syaoran could not help but bow his head in respect. Sakura pulled two chairs from behind her to sit Syaoran and herself beside his bed. She motioned him over and he understood, immediately sitting down beside her.

"This is Li Syaoran," Sakura said, gesturing both hands towards him as his shoulders fell to another bow while his hands pressed down nervously on his knees.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said, and they both exchanged a glance. Sakura decided to continue.

"He goes to the same university, and through a … certain situation, or more like, a certain someone, I met him, and," Sakura stole another glance at Syaoran, and his eyes begged her not to make him speak, "we're dating."

Sakura decided that would probably be enough information and waited for her father's reply. His expression remained practically unchanged, and the couple also tried to keep their expressions composed. Before any words could come from anyone, Touya swings the door open with flawless timing.

"I knew it," he stepped over to the side of the bed opposite Sakura and Syaoran, and crossed his arms, "you left me behind for that brat."

"Good evening, again," standing beside Touya, Yukito politely called out to Fujitaka and he received the same greeting in return. There were no words exchanged for a moment, only glares and amused glances, but unexpectedly, Syaoran stood from his chair, causing a sudden squeak of the chair to break the silence.

"Syaoran, what," Sakura weakly pulled on his sleeve.

"I'll be right back," he said to her, also turning to Fujitaka and nodding his head slightly. "Excuse me."

When he closed the door behind him, Sakura could not help but stand from her chair as well, ready to follow him, but she looked at her father and contemplated her priorities at the moment. Touya was a step ahead of her and without acknowledging anyone, decided to step out and follow him.

"Touya, where are–" Fujitaka took hold of her hand and she sat down immediately. She looked back and forth from her father to Yukito.

"It'll be fine," Fujitaka tried to ease her anxiety, apparently amused by the entire situation.

"Touya won't hit anyone without a reason," Yukito added, bringing about a round of chuckling from the two, and a nervous smile from Sakura.

Meanwhile, Syaoran is leaning forward with his hands on the edges of a nearby vending machine. He takes a deep breath and sighs, lifting his right hand to run through his hair agitatedly. As her turned around, he caught Touya's figure walking towards him and he gulped, raking his hands through his hair again. He turned towards the vending machine again, and kept himself busy by taking out his wallet and counting change. He inserted several coins, pressed the button beneath his choice, and a can rumbled down and clattered into the space below.

"Brat," Touya called out, and after picking up his drink, Syaoran instinctively faced him with a detached expression. Touya stopped in front of the vending machine beside a second vending machine beside Syaoran and began scanning the vending machine drinks, but said to him, "What'd my father say to you?"

"He didn't say anything," Syaoran replied. He placed more coins into the same vending machine, choosing the same drink. Touya began muttering to himself as he realized his preference was sold out, "All out? Damn, I don't know what the heck they're putting in these vending machines anymore."

"Here," Syaoran handed it to him, and he took it, closely examining the label.

"Café Au Lait? What is this, chocolate milk? You can take it back, I only drink coffee ones," he tossed it lightly back at Syaoran, who caught the can easily but felt annoyed at his reaction.

"This _is_ coffee," Syaoran threw the can back to him.

""What is this, French? Since when did they start putting these in?" Touya seemed to be more repulsed by Syaoran than the drink itself, but both of them kept their calm.

"You expect the brat to know?" Syaoran made sure to emphasize the right words and try being on the offense for once, but Touya slammed his fist down on the vending machine and Syaoran suddenly thought of Sakura. He replied again as composedly as he could manage, "I'm sure it's Japanese-made, so it's probably not even that swee–"

"No, thanks," Touya held the drink out to him again, but Syaoran stepped back and held his hand up to refuse.

"Just take it," Touya only raised an eyebrow at him, so Syaoran tried a different approach. He swiftly pulled out his wallet, "Unless there's something else you prefer?"

"I don't need some brat to buy me a drink," Touya shot back at him without even facing him, giving his attention only to the machine in front of him. Syaoran didn't stand still for that.

"You can call me what you want, but I'm serious about Sakura," Syaoran stood his ground.

"What do you know about Sakura? She's a brat just like you!" Touya said condescendingly, and Syaoran understood he wasn't the only target of frustration. "She'll believe anything, and not even realize guys are taking advantage of her."

"Yeah," Syaoran inadvertently let out, and Touya gave him a look that asked for an explanation. Syaoran only shrugged, "I agree."

"So, you've been taking advantage of– " Touya's voice became angry, and Syaoran lifted both palms to stop his assumptions.

"I can just tell from her face – no offense, but your sister is like an open book," Syaoran admitted. Touya stopped midsentence, and Syaoran could tell he couldn't deny it, so he continued with, "you know what she's like."

"Of course I do," Touya said, his head shaking, remembering past occurrences. "She just doesn't think things through."

"Not to mention she's always late," Syaoran mumbled, and Touya glanced at him for a second, but again, he had to agree.

"It's noisy as hell when she gets ready in the morning," he remarked, and Syaoran is relieved at the flow of conversation and lack of glares, and prays it will continue. He opens his can and takes small sips, savoring the warm liquid. Touya speaks again, "Why her?"

"What?" Syaoran takes another sip.

"Why are you dating her?" Touya rolled his eyes, as if it was an obvious question. Syaoran's cheeks had a similar tint to Sakura's when Touya questioned her earlier, but he coughed and turned his face to take another sip of his coffee.

"I don't have to explain it to you," Syaoran's body was turned away, but his eyes confronted Touya with conviction.

"Yeah, you do. There're tons of other girls, probably easier to manage, so why bother with Sakura?" Touya crossed his arms, still holding the can with his fingers.

"No, I don't. Whether you believe it or not, I don't think about other girls," with his integrity now directly shot with doubt, Syaoran didn't care he was snapping back, even if it sounded immature.

"Oh, sure, maybe now you're head over heels for her now, but once you get what you want, and someone better comes along, you'll just leave her, won't you, kid," he was replying with what seemed to come from experience but spoken bitterly with a narrow perspective.

"Like I said, up to you whether or not you believe it, but I don't have any ulterior motives," Syaoran was at his limit, he wasn't used to voicing his thoughts, and the situation called for more than he expected. He quickly bought another drink, and Touya said nothing, but followed him as he started walking back towards the room where Fujitaka, Sakura, and Yukito were lightheartedly conversing.

"I'm not done talkin' to you," Touya said, stopping him at the door.

"What, you'll keep talking until you somehow convince me to break up with her?" Syaoran said, and Touya was silent, so he went on, his voice becoming increasingly upset, "You think I'd put up with everything you just said to play around with her? Always having to remind her how careless she is, and then sometimes, she doesn't even get it! I have to keep myself in check because otherwise, she doesn't even understand that–"

"This door isn't sound-proof, you know," a voice came from the other side of the door, and then it opened to reveal Sakura's annoyed face staring up at them. Her eyes glanced at Touya, who casually put his hands in his pockets, accustomed to ignoring her, but then her eyes fixed upon Syaoran's face, which was suddenly overcome with an expression of remorse. "What's this about me being careless?"

"Sakura, I didn't … mean it … in a bad way …" he took a step back, but Sakura did not back down.

"What _did _you mean, then? Having to put up with me? Am I a bother to you, Syaoran?" Sakura was fierce, but her voice slightly trembled with an injury Syaoran's words had created. Leaning on the open door, she waited for a response.

"Of course, you're not a bother to me! I was just trying to prove to your brother …" he wasn't sure how to continue. Being honest never came easy to him, and it was something he always avoided; the right words would never come to mind.

"Prove what?" Sakura pushed him, and this time, he replied without thinking.

"That I love you!" his voice was projected louder than he had intended, and eyes around them began to look at the now flustered young man. As the couple tried to hide their burning red faces, everyone's attention was suddenly brought to Fujitaka's unexpected laugh.

"Sakura, why don't you let him in," he said, and Syaoran quickly took his escape as he entered the room. Sakura took her place beside him, and Touya walked in, as well. "It seems my daughter has troubled you–"

"Otou-san!" Sakura made a small cry, unable to deny any of the comments made of her, more embarrassment added on to the red on her face.

"–but I hope you will continue to take care of her," laughter still bubbling from his smile, he held out his hand out, and without a moment of hesitation, Syaoran shook it firmly. Touya's exasperated, but defeated grimace did not go unnoticed, but Syaoran focused on the brighter side, keeping his eyes on Fujitaka's still welcoming smile. After dropping the handshake, Syaoran felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm warning you," Touya whispered, "if she ends up crying about you, too, I won't let you off easy."

"Wouldn't forgive myself either," Syaoran whispered to himself. Touya opens the can of coffee in his hand and drinks it as he stomps out the door, with Yukito following behind. After taking a sip, he mutters, "Ugh, I'm regretting this already."

Culture Note:

*_Otou-san_ is a way of addressing one's father in Japanese. However, this way of addressing one's father is only used when speaking directly to one's own father or to other family members. When speaking to someone outside the family, one would use this word to refer to someone else's father.

Author's Note:  
I realize how long this update has taken, and because I appreciate, more than words can express, the readers who have taken their time to read my story, I apologize for my sudden hiatus. I will be back and making updates more often from now on. I hope you will continue to read this story. Thank you.


	9. Tiramisu

Title: Love Can Be Sweet

Chapter 9: Tiramisu

Chapter Summary: A woman from Syaoran's past makes an unexpected appearance.

"Tomoyo, what should I do?" Sakura flopped back onto her bed, landing with a frustrated sigh. She closed her eyes, only to replay Syaoran's confession in her mind.

"What is there to do? Everything seems to be going fine," Tomoyo said. Sakura imagined Tomoyo rolling her eyes as she normally did when trivial problems came up. This was not a lack of consideration on Tomoyo's part. Sakura was aware of her own tendency to excessively react only to realize the problem had not been so serious. She was grateful to Tomoyo for even tolerating the countless phone calls she's made to express her complaints, but this is only natural for the role of a best friend.

"After what he said yesterday, I just don't think I can properly look him in the eye! We've only been dating like, a month, and he tells me he loves me?" Sakura could not help flailing her arms as she made her claims and she could hear Tomoyo giggling through the phone.

"Sakura, you're being silly," Tomoyo brushed off Sakura's naive attitude, and tried to draw attention to the more prevalent points of the issue. "You don't believe him when he says he loves you?"  
"I . . . I want to believe him," Sakura spoke carefully, trying to be honest even though she wasn't herself sure of what her feelings were, but Tomoyo understood the fear in her words. "I want to believe him, Tomoyo, but should I? I mean, is it wrong to feel suspicious after what happened with . . . my last relationship? Am I being too paranoid?

"Honestly? Yes, you're being a little too paranoid," Tomoyo heard a whimper, but smirked and continued, "and Syaoran understands that. He thinks about you more than you realize."

"And how would you know that?" Sakura asked.

"I have my ways, but that's not the point," Tomoyo avoided, and Sakura wondered why Tomoyo seemed so certain of the statements she made about Syaoran, but she decided not to push her thoughts too far on an unrelated matter. Tomoyo's question brought Sakura back to the main conversation, "Do you love him back?"

"I . . . maybe . . . well . . . it's hard to say, we haven't been dating that long," Sakura bit her lip, nerve-wracked with uncertainty, "Maybe you should meet him personally and tell me what you think. You're a much better judge of character than I am."

"If you're brother isn't chasing him away, then he's definitely not someone you have to worry about," they both shared a laugh over the thought of Touya's overly aggressive protection, then Tomoyo presented another question, "but Sakura, it has nothing to do with what anyone else says. How do _you_ feel about him?"

"Tomoyo, if I knew exactly how I felt, would we be having this conversation?" Sakura said, and although Tomoyo spotted her reluctance to completely overcome her fear and properly consider Syaoran's feelings, she acknowledged her insecurity and inquired no further, but countered with a joke.  
"I know. You only ever call me to complain about your boyfriend troubles. Just using me, are you?" Tomoyo emphasized her faked distress.  
"And you only pick up once in a blue moon. Besides, you're the one who decided to study abroad! You know how lonely I am without you!" Sakura whined, but enjoyed the lighthearted conversation.

"You don't need me, you have Syaoran to keep you company now," Tomoyo continued her tease. "Are you seeing him again today?"

"Yeah, we're having lunch together," Sakura replied sullenly, and lazily swung her arm up to check her watch, "actually, I have to go soon."

"I can tell how excited you are," Tomoyo said sarcastically, but couldn't stop from giggling in amusement.

"It's not funny, Tomoyo! What if he wants to talk about what happ–" Sakura heard Syaoran's familiar ring tone interrupt and jolted up from her rested position. She held the phone in front of her to reveal his name. "He's calling me!"

"Have fun at lunch," Tomoyo said sweetly, and Sakura did not interpret the usual tough love of her best friend to be supportive or caring, but only a reason for entertainment as she heard Tomoyo giggle before the line ended with a click. Sakura looked to her phone again to witness the ended call and the screen changed so quickly that her trembling fingers picked up the incoming call. She gasped in dread as Syaoran's voice came through.

"Hello?" quickly placing the phone back at her ear, she replied.

"Hey!" her voice came out louder than she intended.

"Hey," he answered, but she could hear the suspicion in his voice, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah, everything's fine, why do you ask?" Sakura tried to speak with as much composure as she could manage. She swung her legs over to the side to sit up at the edge of her bed.

"If you say so," Sakura couldn't help but think he was definitely saving that as a topic of conversation for later. "So, uh, I'm on my way there."

"Okay," Sakura gulped quietly, and stood up to begin pacing about the room.

"I'll probably be there in a few minutes," he seemed to say less confidently than usual. "Should I come up or just . . ."

His words were hesitant and trailed off, alerting Sakura that it was a good time to intervene and she said, "I'll wait out front."

"All right. I'll be there in a few minutes." Syaoran said quickly before ending the call. Sakura sighed, glancing at the screen change on her phone. She let herself exhale one more time and then bounced off her bed to collect her things.

As she picked up her bag to drop in her phone and wallet, Syaoran's voice echoed briefly through her mind, and what she couldn't shake off was his lack of composure. It was nice not to pick up a phone call to hear him teasing her, but now she realized the conversation had been noticeably gloomy. She definitely made a note to herself to ask him, and felt more prepared to face him knowing she had her own questions to counter the ones he might ask. Sakura picked up her keys and held the front door open, taking a final look at her apartment to make sure she had everything she needed. Locking the door behind her, she sped down the stairs and rushed out into the sidewalk to find Syaoran already waiting for her at the corner of the block.

"And I thought I'd be the early one this time," Sakura tried to lighten the mood as she opened the passenger seat door and sat down. She heard his chuckle and relaxed her body. The drive to the café was quiet, but not uncomfortable – at least, not visibly. When they arrived, Syaoran's phone began to ring, and Sakura blinked in surprise. Syaoran, however, sighed and pulled out his phone as if expecting, though not eagerly, the call. Sakura already had her seatbelt off and he didn't try to stop her when she opened the door.

"I'll get us a table," she said.

Syaoran only nodded and Sakura went on her way, peeking back at him to see he had picked up the phone call. After looking briefly around the familiar café, and receiving a rush of memories of the first time they had met, she realized the café was still somewhat empty and easily found a vacant table closest to the door. She sat down and realized her line of sight lead straight out the window, and she could see Syaoran standing in front of his car with his phone to his ear.

What she didn't notice was the only other woman in the café, sitting at the window, following Sakura's gaze towards Syaoran. The woman placed her chin on her rested arm, watching both Sakura and the man pacing right outside. Then, she picked up her drink and strolled over the empty seat in front of Sakura. She placed her hand on the back of the chair, capturing Sakura's full attention.

"Hello," her smile was broad and friendly, but for some reason, Sakura questioned whether it was genuine. She pulled the chair out, seeking for permission to sit. Reflexively, Sakura nodded timidly and she proceeded to sit down. Then she leaned close to ask, "Do you come here often?"

Sakura made every effort to analyze the woman's words and actions, attempting to determine what intentions this stranger would have in approaching her. When Sakura didn't offer a reply, she said, "I'm actually here on a business trip, and I don't know Tomoeda very well. But I did hear that this café is very popular."

Sakura assumed she was simply a foreigner in Japan. Optimistically, she leaned towards the belief that her smile was real and she might just be asking for help. Sakura loosened her shoulders, and decided it was safe to speak up, "Yeah, the cake here is great."

"Oh? That's a relief to hear. What do you usually get?" she asked, and she placed her chin at the top of her hand while her elbow rested on the table.

"Recently, all I've been getting is chocolate cake," Sakura herself was surprised at the honest reply she gave. She bit her lip to prevent a laugh that almost escaped as she realized how much influence Syaoran has had on her. For a moment, her mind was taken to somewhere more comfortable, and she didn't notice the woman drop her smile.

"I read the tiramisu is the most popular among the customers that come here," she said, suddenly changing the mood of the conversation. "Wouldn't it make sense to recommend the best?"

"Um, I'm sorry, I'm not exactly following . . ."

"Sorry to be so direct, but that man outside," she pointed towards the window where Syaoran could still be seen standing next to his car, "do you know him?"

"Who are you?" Sakura said without thinking, trying to maintain her manners and hide her startled demeanor, but also instinctively keeping her guard up.

"Syaoran's fiancée," she replied.

"What? That's not . . . that shouldn't be right," Sakura shook her head, shaken by the resolute confidence exuding from the woman in front of her. Her heart seemed to fall out of her chest for a moment, but remembering the Syaoran she knew, and remembering his words just yesterday, she stood her ground on her belief that he loved her. If that wasn't enough, she realized her initial reaction was right; there was something daunting about the way this woman smiled and so Sakura replied firmly, "I'm his girlfriend."

"I'm sorry," she seemed to be enjoying herself, and as her grin grew wider, more of her malice leaked through, "you must not know, then."

"Know . . . ?" Sakura narrowed her eyes, curious to hear her explanation, but disgusted by her playful approach of harassment.

"I figured you were someone he picked up while he was in Japan. I guess living in another country could get lonely," her words suddenly became nauseating. The way she spoke accentuated her condescending attitude. Sakura was conflicted as to whether or not to ask a question, knowing that doing so would probably only backfire and somehow twist to become more amusement for the woman. Yet curiosity won over her.

"How do you know Syaoran?" she asked, and as she predicted, the woman giggled before answering her question.

"Our families, of course," she rolled her eyes, "All of the most powerful families in China are well-acquainted. I've known Syaoran and his family for years."

Sakura remained silent, and so for a minute, the woman responded with silence. This time gave each of them a chance to carefully observe the other party. Her eyes first became away of the woman's dark brown hair; it curled around her face and extended down her shoulders. Not even one lock seemed out of place and even in the duration of their conversation, she made no movements to reposition any part of her hair. Sakura couldn't help but brush some of her hair back behind her ear. Then she glanced at the dark eyes interrogating her, but could not bring herself to stare at them for long, so she decided to observe the woman's hands, which would move but remained still as she spoke. Suddenly they flailed near her face.

"What, you don't believe me?" "Ask me anything. About Syaoran, about his mother, his company, anything. You want me to tell some embarrassing story about when he was a kid? That sort of thing? Because I can, if that's what you want to hear."

"I'm not sure what you're here to do, but I won't sit here while you–"

"Fine, fine. It's no fun if you leave now. I'll drop the act and tell it to you straight," she folded her hands on the table. "Syaoran isn't my fiancée, but we used to date. I haven't seen him since we separated, and I'm surprised I had the luck to run into his girlfriend. In Japan, of all places. What's even more surprising is that he's gotten so desperate as to date a girl like you."

"Instead of girls like _you_?" Sakura's voice couldn't decide whether to be hurt by her comment or be sarcastic so as to counter her with an insult, so came out awkward and she remained stuck in the palm of her hands.

"Exactly," she replied with a smile that indicated she spotted Sakura's insecurities, and even brushed off the attempted sarcasm. "You usually get cake here, don't you? Well, that sure tells me this is the best you can afford. Same goes for your clothes, seeing as that's as nicely as you can dress for a date."

"You can keep trying to make me jealous, or try to satisfy whatever weird craze you have for harassing girls like me, but the fact is, Syaoran and I are dating," Sakura's found her confidence and was determined not to let this woman's words get to her, "and that's not going to change no matter what you say to me."

"You can speak up for yourself, that's cute," she mocked, "but I think you're misunderstanding here. I'm not trying to steal him from you. I'm the one who ended it. I just wanted you to humor me. Like, how about you tell me why you started dating him?"

"That's not really any of your business, but it definitely wasn't the same reason you had," Sakura spat back.

"I wanted access to Syaoran's family's power," the woman waved it off nonchalantly, "but just about as much as everyone else did, no secret there. Except he turned out to be a coward."

"What did you say?" this triggered something in Sakura, but she kept her control.

"That's right. Don't worry about girls like me trying to steal him away. In fact, I'm sure he's already been through every girl he's met – at least, every girl that matters," she continued to poke fun. "If there's one thing he's not afraid of doing, it's taking a girl home for the night. And he sure knows how to please a girl, don't you agree?"

There was no response, and both of them knew Sakura was making every effort not to flip the table over in her face. But her words went on and she prolonged the torment.

"Anyway, it's such a pity, though. I've seen what he's capable of doing, but he always needs someone to push him to do it," she claimed, "Like his company. He was practically handed presidential position on a plate, but he just couldn't get over his daddy issues."

"That's enough! I let you say whatever you want about me, but I won't let you speak that way about Syaoran," Sakura slammed her fist on the table, bursting out of her chair. Her verbal abuse was cut short as Sakura left her seat to walk to the counter. She quickly ordered her chocolate cake, not wanting to spend another second in the same room. The woman sat back and persisted with her string of insults. The café was quiet with no other customers and her voice easily carried over.

"This might sound kind of funny, but this just occurred to me. Maybe he's always been into girls like you," she lifted her shoulders slightly as she gave it a thought, and then raised her eyebrows, and laughed, "He can't handle girls with actual authority, so he's settling for girls like you. For some cheap chocolate cake, haha … what's with like, his obsession with chocolate anyway? I mean why he's always –"

After paying for her cake, she grabbed the box and made sure to quicken her pace as she left. Even so, when she passed by the table again, the woman stood between her and the door. She made sure Sakura stopped, and said, "You'll see me again. You might have Syaoran, but I'm after something much bigger."

Sakura didn't stay to hear any more of her poison. She maneuvered around her to push the door open. She almost ran into Syaoran, who was not expecting her to rush past him and walk out.

"Sakura? Where are y–"

"I'm sorry, but I'm going home, Syaoran. I'm really sorry," she stumbled away from him, "please don't follow me."

"Hello, Syaoran," a voice crept up from behind him, but he instantly recognized it. He didn't bother to turn around, focusing his view only on Sakura's retreating figure, but unfortunately for him, she decided to walk around him. "I see you haven't changed much."

"What did you say to her?" he demanded, stepping forward to stand his ground. He didn't care if he might be jumping to conclusions; based on the history he had with the woman in front of him, he was certain that she was involved.

"Just whatever it took to make her say something. The conversation was getting dry – you picked a real turn off this time – but seems that it wasn't all for nothing," she smirked, turning towards the direction where Sakura had gone. Her figure was still visible, but quickly fading, and Syaoran was about to make a run for it, but felt a palm at his chest. "Do you really like this girl?"

"What are you even doing here?" he snarled at her, making constant glances to make sure Sakura was still in his view.

"Business trip. Half of my family is from Japan, remember? I have connections here," she casually replied. "Running into you and your girlfriend has been a nice surprise. Although, I have to admit, seeing competition like _that_ makes me very tempted to . . ."

"You're the one who decided to leave," he stated, and spotted Sakura stopping at the end of the block. The arm not holding the cake box was raised, her hand was probably working on getting rid of the tears on her face. He fixed his eyes on Sakura and watched her take a seat on a nearby bench and he locked his gaze as he said, "But thanks for that, I was able to find hope in humanity again."

"Oh, ouch, you're such a drama queen, Syaoran, stop taking it so personally," she kept the grin on her face, "I found a better offer, and I took it."

"I don't have to listen to this," Syaoran nudged her out of the way and began his sprint towards Sakura.

"Sakura!" he approached her with a frantic call, and she jumped up to walk away from him. He continued to shout her name, and before she could run into the park, he caught hold of her elbow. "Sakura! Whatever she said to you –"

"No, don't look at me right now," both her arms shot up to cover her face, which was bent into her shoulder and concealed by the cascade of hair draping down her head, and she whispered, "I let her get to me."

"I want to help, just tell me what – just listen to me!" she struggled against him, nearly knocking him in the face with the box in her hand, but despite her attempts to break free of his grip, he held her shoulders so that her body faced directly at him. "What happened?"

Sakura's tears continued to dribble down her cheeks and she began to lose control of her sobbing. Syaoran sighed and released his grasp, but wrapped one hand around her shoulders and they entered the park before he led her towards a bench. He sat her down with her back facing the left side of the bench, while he sat beside her with his body twisted to face her.

"Look, I'm sorry about what she sai–"

"Why are you apologizing? I just," she hiccupped, "I just don't want you to see me like this."

"If you're upset, you can cry, but you know I'm here to help, why do I have to keep reminding you?" he helped her wipe some of the tears off the side of her face.

"I'm not upset, I'm angry! I didn't care that she insulted me, but about you, she – I couldn't even say anything to her, Syaoran, I – I'm more annoyed at myself for not saying anything, I'm always just crying, I can't believe I cry so easily," she pulled away from his hands.  
"You don't have to say anything for me. I know what she's like. If anything, I should apologize for not stepping in sooner," Syaoran continued to try to comfort her, but her sobbing didn't calm and he was at a loss for words.

"I don't know what to do if you don't say anything, Sakura," he stroked her face to possibly encourage more of an explanation, but then chuckled, "I guess this is how it feels when you have to deal with me, huh?"

"Syaoran," a smile flashed on her face, only to be covered again by a hand wiping away tears. "You're not that bad."

"Come on, you walked away without throwing a chair at her head. That's definitely only something I could expect from you," he smiled nervously, not giving up on his humorous method of comforting.

"But you and her . . ." she said softly.

"What?" Syaoran leaned closer to listen.

"I can't . . . believe that you and her . . ." she hiccupped and bit her lip, hesitant from continuing her sentence.

"That's all in the past now. I . . . haven't really told you anything, because I didn't think any of it was important. Because I'm not the person I used to be, especially after meeting you," he looked straight into her eyes, and then shook his head, "Sorry that today happened this way. I was planning to properly talk to you about yesterday."

"You . . . want to take it back?"

"No! Why would you – okay, all right, I get it, I know you've been hurt, but after all we've been through, would it kill you to trust me?"

". . . sorry," she her voice dropped back down to a whisper, remembering Tomoyo's words about her paranoia.

"No, no, wait, don't be sorry," he sighed, pulling back the bangs of his hair, preparing himself to speak, "About what I said yesterday, I know I didn't say it right, and I have the worst timing, and made everything so awkward – I mean, you're probably crying because I pulled you into such a mess so early in this relationship, and –"

"Syaoran," she raised a hand to hold his face, but he placed another hand over it.

"What I mean is – I meant what I said, Sakura. I'm in love with you," he maintained his fix onto her eyes, and she glimpsed into his to discover the most beautiful flecks of amber. After just waiting for someone to speak, Sakura took the lead.

"Syaoran . . . I think I'm in love with you, too," she confessed.

"You are?" his response was immediate and his reaction seemed surprised, and she could tell he wasn't expecting it.

"You're right, things were awkward, but that was because I didn't want to hurt you. I know how paranoid and indecisive I can be. I wanted to believe you, but some part of me kept reminding me of my past," she wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, "I'm not crying because of anything you said, or even anything she said."

"Then . . . why?" he asked.

"I told you, I'm just so mad at myself for not being able to say anything," she said.

"But you don't have to –"

"And . . . I know I . . . can't compare to her, but I don't care anymore. When I imagined you with her, I just," she gave him a hug around his shoulders, "I don't want anyone to take you away from me."

"Did you not see the evil in that woman's eyes? I'd go crazy before I willingly give myself up to someone like her," he scoffed, tightening the hug, and she giggled, appreciative of the comfort he gave her from his joking personality.

"Why did you date her in the first place?" she pulled back and realized she asked without thinking, but Syaoran just shrugged in response.

"Because she's the kind of guy any guy would go for," Sakura answered her own question, and Syaoran started to say something, but Sakura interrupted with her usual lack of self-esteem, garnished with a twist Syaoran didn't expect, "It's fine, I don't care anymore. I might not compare to a lot of other girls you've probably dated, but you'll just have to deal with that, Syaoran."

"Oh, how am I ever going to survive this relationship," he stressed the sarcasm.

"Just sorry that I can't," she stopped herself before spilling more of her embarrassing thoughts.

"Can't what?"

"No, nothing, never mind," Sakura leaned away slightly.

"You've already told me this much, don't stop now. Tell me," he wasn't going to let that go, and she was surprised he waited so patiently for an explanation.

"Well, you . . ." she avoided his eyes, "you slept with her . . . and um . . . she's probably more . . . you know . . ."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Wha – I didn't even say it yet!"

"You're jealous?" a smirk crept onto his face, and spread into a very wide grin that lifted his eyes.

"Are you – Syaoran, really? Are you smiling right now?"

"I can't help it," he hugged her, but she rejected it, revealing her usual pout.

"She wasn't that great, Sakura, do I have to say it like that?" he started chuckling, "Plus, you and I haven't even slept together yet, so how could you compare?"

"What, well, how am I supposed to feel when it seems half of China knows something I don't?" she exclaimed, but even before she finished, she was regretting how low she hit.

"I will let that one slide, because," she was relieved when he let out another laugh, "if you're already joking about the women I've slept with, then I can officially put my past behind me."

"You're laughing! I'm insulting you, and you're laughing?"

"I can't help it! I'm just," he couldn't stop his laughter, and made a second attempt to envelop her in a hug, which succeeded and said nuzzled into her hair, "happy."

"What part of this situation is making you so happy?" she leaned out of the hug, but he kept their faces close.

"Just the fact that you think about me," he admitted, not even bothering to hide his flushed. "And you accept me regardless of my past. Heck, even I usually have a hard time accepting myself knowing what I've done in the past."  
"It's like you said, the past is the past," she said. She couldn't resist the temptation of his lips in front of hers and met them with a kiss. He couldn't resist responding with more kisses. As he leaned towards her, she placed her arm behind her to hold herself up, and her hand tapped against the box she realized had forgotten about.

"And believe it or not," she said as they separated to breathe, while rolling her eyes, embarrassed to be saying it, "I think about you all the time."

"You roll your eyes like it's a bad thing," he watched her pull the box out from behind.

"Well, sometimes it is. Like when I spend the last of my cash on cake because I have to buy two slices," she loosened the strings on the cake box to open it and reveal the two chocolate cake slices she had bought earlier.

"You were trapped and interrogated by a demon, but still managed to walk out with cake?" he took the box from her and held it up, astounded at her achievement.

"Yeah, now that I think about it, I'm not sure how I did it," she giggled, but then a thought came to her. "Syaoran, you know, if you ever get bored of that place, we can always try new places."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you want to go someplace more . . . expensive or something," she fidgeted.

"Sakura, I know where this argument is gonna go, so I won't even start, but believe me, I wouldn't trade this chocolate cake for the world," he said. She noticed how his eyes focused directly at her, and she realized he might not be talking about the cake as he spoke.

"Too bad we didn't get to have lunch. I've lost all my appetite," she mournfully sighed at the loss of food, drawing attention away from her clearly swooned expression.

"We can eat here," Syaoran suggested. "We have cake."

"Eat it with what, our faces?" she followed along, underestimating his tease.

"Sure," he lifted the box with both hands and promptly swung it at Sakura's face.

"Syaoran!" she shrieked, shutting her eyes for the impact, but she only heard him laugh and opened her eyes to find he had stopped just in front of her nose.

"I wasn't really going to –" he was busy laughing when she swiped frosting off the top of one cake and slathered it across his nose. Feigning a wounded expression, he calmly stated, "Now it's serious."

The two proceeded to fight for the chocolate frosting to smear it on the other as quickly as possible while avoiding being smeared on. Syaoran held the box in his hands, so he held the advantage, and most of the fight began with him keeping the box away and her trying to reach for it. Eventually he was successful in painting the right half of her lips with chocolate, and spreading it further down to her neck. Sakura let out a yelp and shoved him away to save her clothes from the stains. She managed to counterattack by spreading the thick chocolate already on his face all over his right cheek.

He stopped to lick the chocolate on his fingers, and then decided to change the game and target the chocolate on Sakura's lips using his own. She let him explore her mouth, but when Sakura placed her left hand on his cheek, he realized she had sneakily applied more frosting on his face. Sakura enjoyed her victory, and he smiled at her, which earned a questioning look.

"See how great this chocolate cake is?" he said. As he closed the distance between them, he trapped her giggles with another kiss, moving with more vigor, as if he really intended to eat her, but surprisingly for both of them, it was nothing she could not reciprocate. He suddenly caught her off guard by traveling to the chocolate on her neck.

"Hey!" she felt a tickle as he traced her jaw line with kisses, while slowly but thoroughly licking the chocolate clean off her skin. "Syaoran, you perv! This is a public park!"

His only response was a low hum as he continued, and she raked through his hair as she reluctantly let him go on. They were abruptly snapped out of their rapture as a voice shouted at close range, "You've gotta be kidding me!

Sakura reacted by tossing Syaoran across the bench, who nearly fell off, and the couple stared with wide eyes at the three individuals standing before them. Immediately recognizing her best friend, Sakura leaped up to hug her.

"Tomoyo!" her cousin affectionately welcomed the greeting but held Sakura at arm's length to avoid the chocolate from coming in contact with any part of her body.

"Sorry, Sakura, I'm not going to join your little foreplay," she said, which produced an extremely red blush on the cheeks of both Syaoran and Sakura. Then Tomoyo noticed the traces of tears on Sakura's face. She reached into her pocket for a handkerchief and offered it to Sakura, "Was he so rough you couldn't help but cry?"

"Tomoyo!" Sakura yelped in embarrassment, and Syaoran turned away completely to bury his face in his arms. Eriol and Mei Lin could not suppress their laughs. "It's a long story."

"As long as it's been resolved," Tomoyo couldn't resist teasing her. "It's good to see you two are getting along so well."

"I missed you, too, Tomoyo," Sakura brushed off the tease, removing the tear stains and chocolate off her face, and then the two girls were lost in their own temporary universe as they jumped into their own conversation. Meanwhile, a less amiable confrontation took place beside them.

While accepting a handkerchief from Mei Lin, Syaoran started to say, "I can explain, Eriol, I was just about to –"

"Wait in front of the café, he says. We can have lunch together, he says," maintaining a smile on his face, Eriol crossed his arms intolerantly, with an unnecessary added dose of melodrama, "but he keeps us waiting so that he can ravage his girlfriend on a bench."

"Ravage?" Syaoran was taken aback by the word choice, but tried to defend himself by saying, "I told you I had plans! You were the one who decided–"

"Yeah, Syaoran, you totally stood us up. Luckily, we happened to see you guys on the way to Tomoyo's place," Mei Lin contributed to the scolding, "or actually, more like, unluckily. Aren't there laws against doing that in public?"

"Why are you here, too?" Syaoran grumbled, wiping the last of the cake from his cheek.

"What, I'm not allowed to join the fun? Is this a 'couples only' club I'm interrupting?" she said bitterly. Syaoran reacted first, but Sakura also overheard and looked at Mei Lin.

"Eriol . . . you and her –" Syaoran pointed at Tomoyo, who also received a stunned expression from Sakura. The atmosphere seemed to freeze for a second as the message clicked in their minds.

"You didn't tell me you were dating someone!" Sakura yelled at Tomoyo.

"Wow, Sakura, you usually don't pick up subtle hints like that," Tomoyo seemed impressed, which only provoked Sakura even more.

"That's not the point here!" she said, taking her by the shoulders.

"We haven't been in contact much the past year, and I didn't get many chances to expla–" she tried to reply as calmly as usual.

"And whose fault is that?" Sakura yelled again, and Tomoyo laughed nervously. "We were on the phone earlier today! You could've told me you were calling from the same country!"

"Well I was going to tell you, but there were other issues being discussed – namely, your love life," Tomoyo argued. "It would have been rude to start talking about myself, wouldn't it?"

"Frankly, I'm not surprised," Mei Lin didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"True," Syaoran agreed. "There are a lot of things he doesn't tell us."

"Plus, I can never tell what he's thinking," Mei Lin said.

"Yes, a bit like Sherlock Holmes, aren't I?" he placed his fingers at his chin to pose proudly, as his cousins, dropped their heads in shame.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Mei Lin had to say something to elude the humiliation.

"Not at all," his English accent leaked through, although his two cousins knew it was most likely intentional, and with a straight face, he said, "I happen to be distantly related to the infamous Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle."

"And closely resembles the family member whom Sherlock Holmes was modeled after," Tomoyo followed up.

"Indeed it is quite possible that I have also inherited his brilliance," Eriol finished the fact.

"Sounds like you found a replacement for Yamazaki," Syaoran sighed, but he was more surprised at Sakura's response. She giggled, and Syaoran worried she had fallen for Eriol's tall tale.

"Do you all happen to be related?" Sakura asked, amused by Eriol and Tomoyo's comedy act.

"Unfortunately, yes," Syaoran nodded, and Mei Lin punched him in the arm, which made him change his answer to, "I was referring to Eriol, of course."

"How cruel, Syaoran," Eriol grinned, "considering I was always the one who helped you escape from your female admirers."

"Don't listen to him, Sakura," Syaoran went on to bicker with Eriol. Sakura watched the interactions between the cousins, and although she could not quite comprehend the nature of their relationship, or understand any of their inside jokes, she felt comfortable at ease. Eriol interrupted her contemplation by introducing himself, "Nice to finally meet you, Sakura – hope you don't mind I call you that – my name is Hiiragizawa Eriol."

"Daidouji Tomoyo," introducing herself to Syaoran, Tomoyo bowed politely, "I'm relieved to know that Sakura is in good hands."

"Oh, no, I'm the one who should be relieved, seeing as she has such a mature cousin to take care of her," Syaoran responded with the same respectful bow. Sakura struggled not to be bothered by the image everyone seemed to have of her; she was a child to be taken care of, not only to her immediate family, but to her best friend and boyfriend.

"So, why didn't you tell me about Eriol?" Sakura asked.

"I wanted to surprise you!" Tomoyo said excitedly.

"Okay, you got me," Sakura expected nothing less.

"No, that's not the surprise. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him sooner, Sakura, but actually," Tomoyo drifted back to Eriol's side to loop her arms within his, "Eriol and I are getting married!"


End file.
